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The Ghost

Original title: The Ghost Writer
  • 20102010
  • 1515
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
162K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,432
339
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor in The Ghost (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
8 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.

IMDb RATING
7.2/10
162K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,432
339
  • Director
    • Roman Polanski
  • Writers
    • Robert Harris
    • Roman Polanski
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Olivia Williams
Top credits
  • Director
    • Roman Polanski
  • Writers
    • Robert Harris
    • Roman Polanski
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Olivia Williams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 429User reviews
    • 349Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 33 wins & 56 nominations

    Videos8

    The Ghost Writer: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:11
    The Ghost Writer: Trailer #1
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:07
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    "Confrontation" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:24
    "Confrontation" from The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:59
    The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:56
    The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:34
    The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 1:12
    The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:33
    The Ghost Writer

    Photos120

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

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ewan McGregor
    Ewan McGregor
    • The Ghostas The Ghost
    Pierce Brosnan
    Pierce Brosnan
    • Adam Langas Adam Lang
    Olivia Williams
    Olivia Williams
    • Ruth Langas Ruth Lang
    Jon Bernthal
    Jon Bernthal
    • Rick Ricardellias Rick Ricardelli
    Tim Preece
    • Royas Roy
    Jim Belushi
    Jim Belushi
    • John Maddoxas John Maddox
    • (as James Belushi)
    Timothy Hutton
    Timothy Hutton
    • Sidney Krollas Sidney Kroll
    Anna Botting
    Anna Botting
    • SKY TV Newsreaderas SKY TV Newsreader
    Yvonne Tomlinson
    • Stewardessas Stewardess
    Milton Welsh
    Milton Welsh
    • Taxi Driveras Taxi Driver
    Alister Mazzotti
    • Protection Officer #1as Protection Officer #1
    Tim Faraday
    Tim Faraday
    • Barryas Barry
    Kim Cattrall
    Kim Cattrall
    • Amelia Blyas Amelia Bly
    Kate Copeland
    • Aliceas Alice
    Soogi Kang
    • Depas Dep
    Lee Hong Thay
    • Ducas Duc
    John Keogh
    John Keogh
    • Protection Officer #2as Protection Officer #2
    Hans-Peter Sussner
    • Protection Officer #3as Protection Officer #3
    • Director
      • Roman Polanski
    • Writers
      • Robert Harris(screenplay) (novel "The Ghost")
      • Roman Polanski(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    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 is campaigning for his foundation with his wife in 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. —Eduardo Casais <casaise@acm.org>
    memoirwriterferrypolitical thrillerbeach house297 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Read between the lies.
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Mystery
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • 15
    • Parents guide

    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
      Ruth's accent changes randomly between very English posh and slightly Estuary (lower-class). This could be a clue that she has had to 'improve' her accent as she has ascended Lang's ladder and finds it difficult, as English people do, to keep up the pretence, especially at times of emotional stress.
    • 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 Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #17.93 (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Hatherton
      Performed by David Majzlin

      Courtesy of Toy Hanner Music (ASCAP)

    User reviews429

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Polanski and McGregor, a wonderful match
    Ewan McGregor gets rid of every ounce of glamour and allows his Polanskian character to emerge. I though, a few years ago, Polanski could have played him himself the way he played so beautifully in "The Tenant" Those two characters are not that far apart. Taking over an apartment or a job from someone who leaves the scene under very mysterious circumstances is practically the same thing. McGregor, however, is superb. In "The Ghost Writer" events play close to the knuckle. Who is Pierce Brosnan? Tony Blair? and Olivia Williams? Classic film-making at its best. Compelling and visually stunning. The score by Alexander Desplat reminded me of Bernard Herrman and the atmosphere is so thick that the film's 2 hours plus fly by at an amazing speed. Polanski at 77 doesn't show any signs of jadedness. He is in total control. Hurrah for that!
    helpful•135
    65
    • maureenmcqueen
    • Feb 22, 2010

    FAQ4

    • What is "The Ghost Writer" about?
    • Is "The Ghost Writer" based on a book?
    • What happened to "The Ghost"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 16, 2010 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Germany
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Stream Ghost Writer officially on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Ghost Writer
    • Filming locations
      • Rømø, Denmark
    • 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

    Related news

    Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan’s crucial action sequences for ‘The Ghost’ canned in Dubai
    Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan’s crucial action sequences for ‘The Ghost’ canned in Dubai
    Mar 31GlamSham
    Sonal Chauhan: I did not replace anyone in the Nagrjuna starrer ‘The Ghost’
    Sonal Chauhan: I did not replace anyone in the Nagrjuna starrer ‘The Ghost’
    Mar 12GlamSham

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