The Ghost

What a wonderfully old-fashioned fan in the best sense of the word. Imagine if you will a film where scenes play out without without NYPD Blue stylee cuts and jerky camera work. A film that allows the story to develop at a moderate pace and leaves you guessing until the end. A film that requires your full attention. A film with a musical score that isn't intrusive and doesn't blast your ears off. A film that rachets up the tension and pressure until the end. A film that is directed with skill and style and harks back to Hitchcock, especially North by Northwest - a man who finds himself in a situation not of his making nor under his control. A film where Ewan McGregor shows his butt - AGAIN - it must be in his contract.

The Ghost is based on the novel by Robert Harris, who also wrote the screenplay. He had the seed of an idea idea years before TonyBlair got himself into trouble, but once the idea was bandied about of bringing Blair to trial for war crimes, Harris' novel took concrete form.

Pierce Brosnan is former British Prime Minister Adam Lang. Brosnan is his normal competent self and Ewan McGregor is very good and very funny in some places. The star of the film however is Olivia Williams as Ruth, Adam Lang's wife. She steals every scene she is in. Jim Belushi was unrecognisable for a few minutes to me and Kim Cattrall is the private secretary in more ways than one. Kim's accent is bizarre. I know she's British, but her accent seemed so exaggerated, like someone who forgot how to be natural. She is a bit wooden and pseudo sexy - all tight skirts and no real sex appeal.

The scene is Cape Cod in winter - rainy and dreary in the way London is during February. The setting is a retreat that Adam Lang is holed up whilst his memoirs are written. EMcG is only ever known as the Ghost. He is ghost writing AL's memoirs because the last ghostwriter was found washed up on the beach.

Was it suicide or did he find out something about AL that got him killed.
One of my favourite lines in the movie after EMcG realises he is probably in danger - "I don't want to wash up on the beach. That won't happen, it's already happened once, he can't drown all of you, you're not kittens" or words to that effect. I realise everyone won't think that's funny, but it appeals to my offbeat sense of humour.

Sometimes, you can't see the woods for the trees!

Excellent movie - Polanski on form and when you realise that he edited the fim from an edit suite in prison, it is an even better achievement.