Roman Polanski directs Robert Harris best selling thriller. It was loosely inspired by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair's war exploits.
Ewan McGregor plays a writer who is not interested in politics. However he has been offered a lucrative job to be a ghost writer for the memoirs of former Labour British prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan.) The previous ghostwriter died in an accident and McGregor needs to write the memoirs quickly.
Lang is holed up in Massachusetts with his wife Ruth Lang (Olivia Williams) and assistant Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall.) He is at risk of arrest from the International War Crimes Tribunal for illegal rendition and torture.
McGregor starts to interview Lang, trying to find out what makes him tick, why he got involved in politics etc. Over time he discovers holes in Lang's story. He joined the Labour Party a few years earlier than he claimed.
More intriguingly McGregor investigates how the previous ghostwriter died and thinks that he was on to something before his premature demise.
McGregor confronts Lang and tells him that Lang was groomed for power from his university days be shadowy guys in American intelligence. Something Lang laughs off.
Polanski directs the film as a thriller. McGregor enters a world that gets murkier but the film also gets foggier. It is still an effective film with a good twist.
Because of Polanski's legal issues, he cannot film in the USA. The lack of American location shooting is rather obvious. Also I would had liked to see more of Lang. I think Brosnan's part was curtailed to the film's detriment.
Ewan McGregor plays a writer who is not interested in politics. However he has been offered a lucrative job to be a ghost writer for the memoirs of former Labour British prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan.) The previous ghostwriter died in an accident and McGregor needs to write the memoirs quickly.
Lang is holed up in Massachusetts with his wife Ruth Lang (Olivia Williams) and assistant Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall.) He is at risk of arrest from the International War Crimes Tribunal for illegal rendition and torture.
McGregor starts to interview Lang, trying to find out what makes him tick, why he got involved in politics etc. Over time he discovers holes in Lang's story. He joined the Labour Party a few years earlier than he claimed.
More intriguingly McGregor investigates how the previous ghostwriter died and thinks that he was on to something before his premature demise.
McGregor confronts Lang and tells him that Lang was groomed for power from his university days be shadowy guys in American intelligence. Something Lang laughs off.
Polanski directs the film as a thriller. McGregor enters a world that gets murkier but the film also gets foggier. It is still an effective film with a good twist.
Because of Polanski's legal issues, he cannot film in the USA. The lack of American location shooting is rather obvious. Also I would had liked to see more of Lang. I think Brosnan's part was curtailed to the film's detriment.