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The Ghost Writer

  • 2010
  • 9
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
169K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,664
296
Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)
A ghostwriter (McGregor) hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Brosnan) uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.
Play trailer2:11
10 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaMystery

A ghost writer, hired to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister, uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.A ghost writer, hired to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister, uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.A ghost writer, 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
    • Roman Polanski
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Olivia Williams
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    169K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,664
    296
    • Director
      • Roman Polanski
    • Writers
      • Robert Harris
      • Roman Polanski
    • Stars
      • Ewan McGregor
      • Pierce Brosnan
      • Olivia Williams
    • 451User reviews
    • 349Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 33 wins & 57 nominations

    Videos10

    The Ghost Writer: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:11
    Watch The Ghost Writer: Trailer #1
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:07
    Watch "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    "Confrontation" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:24
    Watch "Confrontation" from The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost: UK (The Publisher's Office)
    Clip 3:24
    Watch The Ghost: UK (The Publisher's Office)
    The Ghost: UK (I'm Your Ghost)
    Clip 0:35
    Watch The Ghost: UK (I'm Your Ghost)
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:59
    Watch The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:56
    Watch The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:34
    Watch The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 1:12
    Watch The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:33
    Watch The Ghost Writer

    Photos120

    Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Pierce Brosnan in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Pierce Brosnan in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Ewan McGregor and Kim Cattrall in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Pierce Brosnan and Olivia Williams in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Ewan McGregor and Roman Polanski in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Roman Polanski in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, and Olivia Williams in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ewan McGregor
    Ewan McGregor
    • The Ghost
    Pierce Brosnan
    Pierce Brosnan
    • Adam Lang
    Olivia Williams
    Olivia Williams
    • Ruth Lang
    Jon Bernthal
    Jon Bernthal
    • Rick Ricardelli
    Tim Preece
    • Roy
    Jim Belushi
    Jim Belushi
    • John Maddox
    • (as James Belushi)
    Timothy Hutton
    Timothy Hutton
    • Sidney Kroll
    Anna Botting
    Anna Botting
    • SKY TV Newsreader
    Yvonne Tomlinson
    • Stewardess
    Milton Welsh
    Milton Welsh
    • Taxi Driver
    Alister Mazzotti
    Alister Mazzotti
    • Protection Officer #1
    Tim Faraday
    Tim Faraday
    • Barry
    Kim Cattrall
    Kim Cattrall
    • Amelia Bly
    Kate Copeland
    • Alice
    Soogi Kang
    • Dep
    Lee Hong Thay
    • Duc
    John Keogh
    John Keogh
    • Protection Officer #2
    Hans-Peter Sussner
    • Protection Officer #3
    • Director
      • Roman Polanski
    • Writers
      • Robert Harris
      • Roman Polanski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The end title designer forgot to use punctuation when writing the end credits. This resulted in all assistants being listed as "ass designer" or "ass painter" etc.
    • Goofs
      Though the movie is set in Massachusetts, when the ticket agent at the ferry asks The Ghost for his choice of ticket type, she uses the British words "single" and "return" instead of the United States expressions "one-way" and "round-trip".
    • Quotes

      Adam Lang: Spare me the bleeding-heart bullshit! Do you know what I'd do if I was in power again? I'd have two queues at airports: one for flights where we'd done no background checks, infringed on no one's civil bloody liberties, used no intelligence gained by torture. And on the other flight we'd do everything we possibly could to make it perfectly safe. And then we'd see which plane the Rycarts of this world would put their bloody kids on! And you can put that in the book!

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits. The title and cast list do not appear until after the last scene of the movie.
    • Alternate versions
      US version was cut for language to secure a PG-13 rating (the usage of the words "fuck" and "shit" was severely toned down).
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Valentine's Day/Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief/The Wolfman/Ajami (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Hatherton
      Performed by David Majzlin

      Courtesy of Toy Hanner Music (ASCAP)

    User reviews451

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Truly Brilliant and Amazing
    I went in to see this film without any prior knowledge of what it was about. I kinda like that when I see a movie... I only knew that Ewan McGregor was in it and that was good enough a reason for me. The first two things that I noticed in this film was the cinematography and the score. I thought that the cinematography was beautiful and the settings were stunning. There was a reason why everything had a certain look about it. The opening music at the beginning was also another hint that something is quite off through the whole movie. This isn't going to be a run-of-the mill mystery story; this is so much more.

    Without giving away anything, there is so much to see and speculate on when you are introduced to the characters. I didn't realize until the very end of the film that you are never hinted as to ANYTHING about The Ghost. More than once I was going over in my head to try and remember what his character's name was, but to no avail. Ruth's character is something else completely compelling and curious. Truly brilliant characters in this story.

    I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is looking to go see a truly amazing and cerebral film. It doesn't mess with your head in the way Shutter Island did, but it makes you think and it really leads you down every single road of the map, all at the same time.
    helpful•99
    48
    • Lizardo5298
    • Apr 12, 2010

    Top picks

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    FAQ24

    • How long is The Ghost Writer?Powered by Alexa
    • What is "The Ghost Writer" about?
    • Is "The Ghost Writer" based on a book?
    • What happened to "The Ghost"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 20, 2010 (Netherlands)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Germany
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Stream Ghost Writer officially on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Người Chấp Bút
    • Filming locations
      • Peenemünde, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany(as Martha's Vineyard)
    • Production companies
      • R.P. Productions
      • France 2 Cinéma
      • Studio Babelsberg
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $45,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,541,549
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $183,009
      • Feb 21, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $60,331,447
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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