Catching Up With 2010: Capsule Review – The Ghost Writer
There is a moment about halfway through The Ghost Writer where I had forgotten just how long I had been watching the movie. It felt like it had been about 20 minutes when in reality it was about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Roman Polanski's thriller is so efficient and so well made and polished that I lost myself in it. It's the type of thriller that relies on the tired old cliché of being "Hitchcockian", yet the cliché is apt because the film is as taut and expertly crafted as anything Hitch made. It's about as smooth a thriller that I've seen in years (a stark to contrast to one of my other favorite thrillers this year, the wonderfully grimy and cruelly ironic neo-noir The Square), but don't let its benign, British sheen throw you off: this is a nasty thriller with a final moment that seems out of place in most thrillers these days. It's a perfect coda to a film with secrets and the discovering of secrets. I've been elusive for a reason as the film's plot – and the slow unveiling of the story's mystery – is one of the things that allows the viewer to immerse themselves so deeply in the film. The acting – headed by Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor – is top notch, and the film's aesthetic is the best Polanski has employed in years (I specifically loved the score by Alexandre Desplat which makes something as simple as the passing of a note the most suspenseful thing I've seen in a film this year). The Ghost Writer was released all the way back in February alongside another forgotten masterpiece of 2010: Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. Both films, based on novels, are about men searching answers that will help unlock some truths; both films begin with ominous music as ferries approach a destination (Scorsese's ferry is enshrouded in fog; Polanski's ferry is clearly reaching its destination – both openings say a lot about their protagonists and the types of journeys they will embark on); and both films are expertly crafted thrillers by two masters that show they have no signs of slowing down. It's a refreshing reminded in this most banal of movie years that there are still two old masters out there making great movies. I have now seen The Ghost Writer twice. Upon my second viewing, I noticed a lot of the clues that help make sense of the film's dénouement, and one of the things I noticed most was that none of the film's momentum or suspense is lost after you know all of the film's information. Like any great film, The Ghost Writer becomes a richer experience with each subsequent viewing. It reminded me of the efficient, addictive prose of Ian McEwan, and the way he can conjure up suspense and irony while making it so accessible that it simultaneously works as a potboiler and as a more layered reading experience. The Ghost Writer left me, twice, with the same feeling. I can't wait to see it again.
This movie is great, a bit better than "Shutter Island", but this is closer than "Salt" to my top 10.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I saw the movie twice and I'm gunning to see it a third and fourth time. Glad you noticed the clever similarities between the opening shot with the opening of Shutter Island. Both movies are my top two favorites of the year.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else also getting sick of the growing complaints by people discovering the movie for the first time about how they found it "boring"? I mean, it's one thing to dislike Polanski as a person. But this is NOT a boring movie. Not if you recognize that Polanski is gleefully up to his old tricks again.
Very good review. The Ghost Writer is my pick for the best film of 2010. It's unfortunate how Polanski's personal life has overshadowed just how great he is at suspense films. The word "Hitchcockian" has been thrown around a lot to describe the film, but it's a perfectly apt description. Everything from the average, every-day main character being thrown into a crazy situation, to scenes like the note-passing or the final shot...it really employs some of Hitchcock's style, but it's still clearly a tight, paranoid and down beat Polanski film. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone, for the comments! I appreciate them.
ReplyDeleteAdam: I haven't heard anyone say that the film is boring. I have head people claim that they won't watch the movie because Polanski's history. That pisses me off more than people thinking the movie is boring.
Lee: Thanks for stopping by and for the comment! I too love the Hitchcockian tone of the film. Those final moments where the truth is revealed are bit of a stretch, but Hitch did it too in his films...so really I was okay going along with it. That final shot, though...damn was that wonderfully nihilistic and cruelly ironic ending.
It works as a suspense piece, but as a point about politics, not so much. But Polanski is always a treat no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI loved this movie so much more than I expected. Ewan and Brosnan did a good job, and the viewer was able to discover the story with Ewan and almost at the same moment he realized what happened, I did too. Too bad this movie was passed over for any awards love. - YBLM
ReplyDeleteThe film is very good, but I do have to wonder - had the ending gone, let's just say, the other way, would we still think so highly of it? Would it have become more commonplace because of it? I can't help but think it would minimize the effect of the perfectly built-up tension that occurs in the two hours that precede it. I hope I'm wrong, and we'll never know for sure...unless there's an alternate ending on the DVD. YBLM
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