A ghostwriter whom we know only as The Ghost (Ewan McGregor) is hired to complete the memoirs of the former Prime Minister of Great Britain (Pierce Brosnan) when his original ghostwriter dies of an apparent suicide.
The task takes The Ghost on an adventure which he had not envisioned when he agreed to take the job. The film is peppered with long and short appearances of familiar faces to American audiences, such as Jim Belushi, Timothy Hutton, Tom Wilkinson, Eli Wallach and Kim Cattrall. Quite a cast. And they were directed by Roman Polanski.
It is surprising that the film passed censorship since the premise was the involvement of the American CIA in English politics. The Ghost, in his search for pertinent material for the Prime Minister’s memoir, uncovers adultery, murder, secret coding, misrepresentation and espionage. The film is an adaptation of the novel titled The Ghost by Robert Harris. Perhaps the novel was more specific concerning the relationship of the Prime Minister and his secretary Amelia (Kim Cattrall), but the film gave no details of an affair between the two. The PM instead exploited his loving bond with his wife.
When the Prime Minister is accused of war crimes towards suspected terrorists, he is forced to remain in the United States rather than face the charges in his homeland. Another surprise uncovers the fact that the Prime Minister was a classmate of Paul Emmet (Tom Wilkinson) in college, although Emmet denies that they knew each other. The Ghost uncovers the hidden background of Paul Emmet as well as his relationship with the Prime Minister’s wife when she was his student in college.
All comes together very neatly except for the surprise ending which may or may not have been necessary for closure to the story. It was an enjoyable two hours spent as The Ghost went about his business, not so much as a ghostwriter as an investigative reporter. It is a film worth watching.
Source:
Movie – The Ghost Writer (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139328