The good news for fans of Roman Polanski's work as a filmmaker is that "The Ghost Writer" is pretty damned good.
The bad news for people who hate Roman Polanski because of the recently-renewed furor over his sometimes-less-than-admirable private life is that "The Ghost Writer" is pretty damned good. It would piss the latter off righteously if "The Ghost Writer" were to become recognized as what some critics have already called it, one of the best films of the year. But that's not likely to happen now. The Edg's and the Raunchydogs of the world will never see it, and neither will most people, because of the controversy. If I were in Bhairitu conspiracy mode, I might see something suspicious about the U.S. government getting heavily involved in reacti- vating a 33-year-old case against a filmmaker whose latest film, about to be released, was about British politicians being bought and paid for by the CIA. Since the movie was based on a fairly popular novel, that particular conspiracy theory may not hold water, but it's interesting to think about in light of the pressure put on the Swiss to extradite him, the intensity of which surprised even them. Bottom line, however, is that this is another film by the guy who made "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" and "Repulsion," and that it fits more comfortably in the company of those three films than it does his lesser work. Good plot, good writing, and consistently excellent performances by a tremendous cast, including Ewan McGregor, Olivia Williams (even better than she was in "Dollhouse," for fans), Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, and Tom Wilkinson. Not "Chinatown," but definitely not "Bitter Moon" or "The Ninth Gate," either. Those interested in a taut, well-done political thriller who can get past their personal distaste for the filmmaker would find their time better invested in this film than it would be in any other political thriller in recent years.
