The Ghost (2010)
"The Ghost Writer" (original title)

A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Robert Harris (screenplay), Roman Polanski (screenplay),

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Jon Bernthal, Olivia Williams

26 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	The Ghost
Jon Bernthal	...	Rick Ricardelli
Tim Preece	...	Roy
James Belushi	...	John Maddox
Timothy Hutton	...	Sidney Kroll
Anna Botting	...	SKY TV Newsreader
Yvonne Tomlinson	...	Stewardess
Milton Welsh	...	Taxi Driver
Alister Mazzotti	...	Protection Officer #1
Tim Faraday	...	Barry
Kim Cattrall	...	Amelia Bly
Kate Copeland	...	Alice
Soogi Kang	...	Dep
Lee Hong Thay	...	Duc
Olivia Williams	...	Ruth Lang

Storyline

An unremarkable ghost-writer has landed a lucrative contract to redact the memoirs of Adam Lang, the former UK Prime Minister. After dominating British politics for years, Lang has retired with his wife to the USA. He lives on an island, in luxurious, isolated premises complete with a security detail and a secretarial staff. Soon, Adam Lang gets embroiled in a major scandal with international ramifications that reveals how far he was ready to go in order to nurture UK's "special relationship" with the USA. But before this controversy has started, before even he has closed the deal with the publisher, the ghost-writer gets unmistakable signs that the turgid draft he is tasked to put into shape inexplicably constitutes highly sensitive material.

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Plot Keywords:

memoir | british prime minister | scandal | ghost writer | island | 

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Taglines:

Read between the lies.

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

France Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

El escritor oculto

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£853,679 (UK) (16 April 2010)

Gross:

$15,523,168 (USA) (11 June 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

R.P. Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Studio Babelsberg

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The airplane that takes the Ghost to the USA is a CGI model of Boeing 787 which hasn't entered into service yet. The interior shown is also a mock-up.

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Goofs

When we first see the abandoned BMW on the ferry viewed from the the bow of the ship its front right wheel is parked straight, hard against the yellow lane divider. When we see it alone from above/behind the vehicle is more skewed and across the left-hand line.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Ghost: You realize I know nothing about politics.
Rick Ricardelli: You voted for him, didn't you?
The Ghost: Adam Lang? Of course I did, everyone voted for him. He wasn't a politician, he was a craze.

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Crazy Credits

The credits are written as black-on-white with a typewriter font, like the manuscript shown throughout the movie.

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Connections

Featured in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #17.93 (2010)

User Reviews

Not great but extremely entertaining

I have been waiting to see this movie since I saw the trailer and not just because it starred Pierce Bronsnan. This film looked and sounded very interesting and I have to say that it was. It might be slow for some people who are use to modern movies where things move at a fast pace (mostly to go nowhere). It keeps your interest and has a nice twist at the end. The acting was superb, even the minor roles, such as Timothy Hutton (who I miss on the big screen) did a great job with a really small role. Sure it wasn't a great thriller but it has a lot of good elements that make it suspenseful. Also this movie has a lot of humor and doesn't take itself so seriously which is great too. It's a really good balance and I would see it again.