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IMDbPro

The Ghost Writer

  • 20102010
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
167K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,445
193
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.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
167K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,445
193
  • Director
    • Roman Polanski
  • Writers
    • Robert Harris(screenplay)
    • Roman Polanski(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Olivia Williams
  • Director
    • Roman Polanski
  • Writers
    • Robert Harris(screenplay)
    • Roman Polanski(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Olivia Williams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 449User reviews
    • 349Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more 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
    • 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(screenplay) (novel "The Ghost")
      • Roman Polanski(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    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
      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 Siskel & Ebert: 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 reviews449

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Old-fashioned noir, beautifully crafted for modern audiences
    The Ghost is the story of a ghost writer who wins an assignment to tidy up the memoirs of a recently ex British Prime Minister to turn them into a best seller. It's set in the United States, and revolves around unproven accusations of allowing suspected terrorists to be extradited and tortured. The previous ghost writer has been found dead.

    I found this a tense thriller with the added attraction of that pointed economy of execution for which Europeanised Hollywood (of which Polanski must be one of the leading exponents) is famed. As was often the case with Hitchcock, the story, camera framing, and a sense of mounting anticipation, produce more suspense than any amount of car chases, expensive stunts, intrusive music or grandstanding of stars.

    Polanski's choice of stars is interesting, particularly as the two lead parts Pierce Brosnan (as former Prime Minister, Adam Lang) and Ewan McGregor (as the ghost) are known more for their 'star-appeal' performances than any detailed character acting. Yet they are perfectly cast, both for their on screen personas and for the space given them to develop. When Brosnan comes alive in sudden fits of rage (almost recalling Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon) we become more aware of his considerable strength as an actor, allowing the character – deliberately something of a stereotype – to shine through. The ploy is somewhat less successful though with Kim Cattrall, who seems forever in her Sex and the City persona. or Tom Wilkinson, who sadly seems to have just been wheeled in just to read lines from a supporting role. A less recognisable face in the formidable array of stars is Olivia Williams (Miss Stubbs in An Education, and also making a return in the new series of Dollhouse). So when Williams, as Lang's wife Ruth, shows unexpected fire and passion we are taken by surprise – without any of the voyeuristic appeal of watching Ewan McGregor bare his bottom – as he, or his double, does quite readily.

    The Ghost can be watched on two levels. Firstly it can be enjoyed as a straightforward thriller of a traditional sort. Aimed at modern audiences, it has plenty of sudden shocks but less twists and turns than, say, Chinatown. Even the ending has been simplified from the original script, which would have given a further meaning to the title and the whole film: but at the risk of being perhaps a little too clever.

    But for those who want to draw unsettling comparisons, there is a fairly heavy-handed likeness to accusations about Tony Blair's complicity in what have been termed war crimes. And as Adam Lang, ensconced on an island off the east coast of America, far from the reach of the International Court of Justice (to which America does not subscribe), is pulled deeper into the plot of conspiracy theorists, another reading is easy to find: Polanski's own isolation for alleged crimes committed many years ago. For those that want to follow such parallels, there is a US Secretary of State that looks worrying like Condoleezza Rice. And when Lang refuses an invitation to go to London for fear of arrest, it might possibly recall Polanski's comment, "The last time I went to a festival to get a prize I ended up in jail." The Ghost is a beautifully 'hand-crafted' film, almost belonging to the age of noir, when characters were shadows and revelations exposed with dramatic force rather than loud bangs. Perhaps not as flashy as masterpieces such as Chinatown or Rosemary's Baby, The Ghost is still a welcome addition of quality and sleek design when the market for such dramas is swamped with bad stories and cluttered execution.
    helpful•31
    15
    • Chris_Docker
    • May 1, 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
      • March 19, 2010 (United States)
    • 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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