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 (screenplay), Roman Polanski (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
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Popularity
2,552 ( 152)
33 wins & 55 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Read between the lies.


Certificate:

M | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When investigating Professor Paul Emmett's background, The Ghost comes across a website talking about investigations into the CIA. A picture is shown of two U.S. senators, Frank Church (holding a pistol) and John Tower. Church, a U.S. Senator from Idaho, established a committee--to be known as the Church Committee--to investigate abuses committed by U.S. intelligence agencies. See more »

Goofs

When the Ghost purchases the ticket from the ferry window, he returns the clerk's "Here's your ticket" with the British slang for thanks "Tah." Assuming that the clerk was not herself British, nor had spent any time in the United Kingdom, there's no way that she would have known what he meant and she would have at least said "Excuse me?" See more »

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

There are no opening credits. The title and cast list do not appear until after the last scene of the movie. See more »

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). See more »

Connections

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

Soundtracks

Hatherton
Performed by David Majzlin
Courtesy of Toy Hanner Music (ASCAP)
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User Reviews

 
A great thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock (and Rosemary's Baby)
8 March 2010 | by eliot_axelrodSee all my reviews

This is a connoisseur's movie. It needs to be consumed slowly and deliberately to truly enjoy everything that has gone into it. Watch it carefully, there is a lot going on under the surface.

Yes, it's a thriller, and as such parts of it are fast paced, but what it does so well is to misdirect your attention for a while before snapping you back to focus.

There are no wasted words, nor gratuitous scenes in this movie. Just like a Hitchcock movie, the scenes are all necessary, even if they are symbolic.

The acting is first rate, and I say that because much of the tension in the movie comes from the way the characters act, not special effects, not plot points hammered in over and over again.

It is a very dark movie, and the darkness is nicely set off by humor and sarcasm in a few spots.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

France | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2010 (New Zealand) See more »

Also Known As:

El escritor oculto See more »

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$183,009, 21 February 2010

Gross USA:

$15,541,549

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,331,447
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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