The Ghost Writer

The stolid political mystery The Ghost Writer is only Roman Polanski’s second film since winning the Best Director Oscar for The Pianist, and until he was released by Swiss authorities last month, it appeared that it might become his swan song. Watching The Ghost Writer, you get the impression you’re still in the hands of a master filmmaker, but that you haven’t been given sufficient reason to care about this particular film. In this adaptation of a Robert Harris novel (whose Enigma was previously turned into a Michael Apted snoozer), Ewan McGregor plays “The Ghost”, a writer for hire contracted to spice up the memoirs of a Tony Blair-ian ex-prime minister facing war-crimes charges (Pierce Brosnan, barely registering). McGregor’s predecessor died under shadowy circumstances, and the writer grows even more suspicious when he stumbles on potentially damaging information about his employer.