The Ghost Writer

(2010)
Ewan McGregor! Pierce Brosnan! How did Michael Sheen not end up in this movie? I dont know! McGregor plays a ghost writer (never named) who is chosen (by a bald Jim Belushi yeeuch) to ghost-write and edit the memoirs of one Adam Lang (Brosnan) a former British prime minister whos secluded himself away (with his staff and security agents) in his beach house on Marthas Vineyard. Theres something fishy in the land of Massachusetts, however; the reason McGregor is called in is because his predecessor, a member of Langs staff, drowned under mysterious circumstances. Once the ghost writer is on the scene, he can see other things are amiss as well; theres a great deal of tension among everyone, and there seems to maybe be an affair going on between Lang and his chief of staff Amelia (Kim Cattrall, who, just an aside, looks pretty damned good for someone her age). As the writer digs into Langs past, he navigates the chaotic maze that is his present and begins to uncover evidence that perhaps his predecessor was murdered, and possibly why. From there he has to uncover the truth before he himself becomes a target. The remote Marthas Vineyard setting helps build an atmosphere of seclusion for our protagonist everything is dead, sandy, or rainswept and Langs home starts to feel like a fortress as the movie proceeds. The few times he does leave the house to stay at a hotel, or to visit someone for information the isolation never lets up; its relentless, and a powerful part of the movie. The acting is also very sharp here; Brosnan is guarded, even hostile, but turns on the charm as a politician would given the circumstances hes in. Olivia Williams plays his unhappy wife, Ruth, and she is also very sharp; we never know quite what to make of her, and Williams uses that ambiguity wisely. McGregor we instantly bond with everyone else is a prick, its not that hard but he plays the everyman very comfortably, always a bit baffled by whats really going on. Cattrall is good, but her accent is inconsistent, which I found distracting. But overall the performances are strong, the story is compelling, and the setting and direction (Roman Polanski, mothers, hide your daughters) all contribute to create a taut, suspenseful movie. That, frankly, they just freaking blow in the last two minutes. Some of you may not recall the awful 80s film No Way Out, with Kevin Costner and Sean Young, but I will never forget that film as the shining example of not knowing when the f**k to quit. They had to add one more plot twist in the last seconds, and it ruined the whole movie (not that we were talking Citizen Kane here anyway). The exact same holds true here (I know this is based on a novel), where the last 15 seconds of the film are completely and utterly unnecessary, and leave your mouth with a taste so bad it cannot help but spoil the rest of the movie which is a shame, because the rest of it is pretty good. There is such a thing as being too clever, and sadly, this

film is. Watch the film, enjoy it, and just turn it off at the end the moment McGregor leaves the screen. Then youll be really happy with it. Otherwise, prepare for a crashing disappointment as they engage in one clever plot twist too many. July 16, 2011