The Ghost Writer (2010)

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)

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams

33 wins & 55 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	The Ghost
Jon Bernthal	...	Rick Ricardelli
Tim Preece	...	Roy
Jim Belushi	...	John Maddox (as James Belushi)
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 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.

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Plot Keywords:

memoir | writer | ferry | political thriller | beach house | 

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Taglines:

Read between the lies.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Ghost (Ewan McGregor) is given a manuscript by Lang's attorney. In the taxi, he checks the number of pages: 624. Tony Blair's memoir, "A Journey", published in September 2010, also has 624 pages.

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Goofs

When the ghost gets in the BMW, the BMW Connected Drive starts up immediately. However, it takes some time to start this up; in order to function properly, it has to connect to some satellites. The BMW Connected Drive can not work whilst in a garage (there is no contact with any satellite whatsoever to give directions).

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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

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

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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).

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Connections

Featured in Richard Roeper & the Movies: The Ghost Writer (2010)

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Soundtracks

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

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Vidio [Indonesia]

Country:

France Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Ghost Writer

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1