One of the first things students learn in acting classes is to tap into their empathy regarding the characters they're going to play. That can be real or imagined (the latter tact coming in handy when embodying murderers, sociopaths and the like), but the goal is to feel and embody the emotions to such an extent that audiences believe such performers are the characters they're portraying. While it isn't as important for those behind the camera to do the same, it certainly doesn't hurt.
To that extent, it's interesting to note the real and suggested subtext surrounding the filmmaker who's brought Robert Harris' 2007 political thriller "The Ghost" to the big screen. Newly minted as "The Ghost Writer," it's the tale of a famous figure -- in this case, a barely disguised take on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- who finds himself mired in controversy over criminal behavior that's made it impossible for him to return to his home.
The irony, of course, is that director Roman Polanski -- who moved to the U.S. in 1968 -- has been a fugitive from American law for nearly a quarter of a century (for his sexual relationship with a minor back in the '70s), was arrested by Swiss police in 2009, and had to finish editing his first film in five years while under house arrest. Talk about knowing what it's like to be famous, trapped and having others wanting your head.
Yet, the protagonist of this dramatic thriller isn't that political figure, nor is it even really about the similarly thinly veiled (and frankly far too obvious and easy) condemnation of Blair's steadfast alliance with the Bush presidency of the 2000s and its controversial handling of all things terrorist related. Instead, Polanski and Harris (who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with him) use all of that as the backdrop for a film that harkens back to the offerings of Hitchcock and the master's notable "common man facing increasing danger" theme.
Never identified by name, but listed as "The Ghost" in the production notes and credits, that character (terrifically embodied by Ewan McGregor) this time around is -- shock of all shocks considering the title -- a ghost writer hired to finish the autobiography of said former politico (nicely played by Pierce Brosnan who thankfully doesn't attempt to ape Blair). Said work is kept under tight lock and key by none other than Kim Cattrall, or at least her character who once again is a sexualized figure (even if that's more implied than overt, it continues the actress' track record of playing sexpots).
Her demeanor, his client's occasional fiery temper, as well as the glaring looks given by secondary characters (Olivia Williams is convincing as the unhappy but nebulous wife and Tom Wilkinson is appropriately politely menacing as a shady figure who's revealed later in the film) and miscellaneous ones (including the security gate personnel and even the cook) are designed -- as in films of old -- to give viewers the impression that something fishy might be in play and that our unassuming hero might really be in danger. Granted, the fact that his immediate predecessor washed up on the local shores after disappearing from a ferry ride at the beginning of the film has already cast that die. So, as our ghost starts snooping around, we know he's only going to be digging up trouble for himself.
Polanski and company do a decent job with said material, giving most of it an old-fashioned feel (beyond the unnecessary profanity, a brief backside view and the presence of cell phones and computers this could have could have been made back in the '50s) that's a refreshing change of pace from most others of its genre ilk.
That said, and while everything is handled in a clearly competent fashion -- including some entertaining comic relief from time to time (the best being what happens when the scribe breaks the in-house rules about the manuscript) -- it doesn't leap off the screen and grab you by the collar like you think it should. The film does manage to hold one's interest throughout, but probably could have been truncated down somewhat from its runtime of nearly 130 minutes without losing anything in the editing process.
Even so, it's a smart film that appropriately relies more on the word (written and spoken) than the sort of rote and easy trappings that usually populate contemporary thrillers, and the final discovery and concluding scene only further illustrate the power of the mighty "pen." "The Ghost Writer" rates as a 6 out of 10.
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