Review: The Ghost Writer

Review: The Ghost Writer

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

If you've seen all the Oscar nominated movies, then there usually isn't much worth seeing by the end of March. Unfortunately, that's the time when studios release "problem" movies -- the ones with big star that have been in editing for the last six months (like Shutter Island). Films which just haven't gelled.

So, it was delightful today to watch a film with major stars that did not disappoint: The Ghost Writer. Ewan McGregor has the burden of carrying the movie; he is, I believe, in every scene. There are also fine performances by Pierce Brosnan, as Adam Lang a morally questionable ex-prime minister of Great Britain; Olivia Williams as his unhappy wife Beth; Kim Cattrall as Amelia (Captain) Bly (possibly Lang's mistress), and Tom Wilkinson as a professor who dabbles in many things. There is even a short, powerful performance by Jim Belushi who proves in this quick turn that he should be acting in dramas as well as comedies.

It's the pacing and tension of the film, however, that make the movie truly worthwhile. Polanski's direction controls moods and revelations deftly. If I were to complain about anything, it would be a plot element which has been done to death: the involvement of the CIA in international politics. But that can be overlooked as we focus on the ghost writer, a man who has no name.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it