Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Ghost Writer

  • 2010
  • PG-13
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
175K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,844
279
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
Political ThrillerCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

A ghostwriter uncovers a dark secret while working on the memoirs of England's former Prime Minister.A ghostwriter uncovers a dark secret while working on the memoirs of England's former Prime Minister.A ghostwriter uncovers a dark secret while working on the memoirs of England's former Prime Minister.

  • Director
    • Roman Polanski
  • Writers
    • Robert Harris
    • Roman Polanski
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Olivia Williams
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    175K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,844
    279
    • Director
      • Roman Polanski
    • Writers
      • Robert Harris
      • Roman Polanski
    • Stars
      • Ewan McGregor
      • Pierce Brosnan
      • Olivia Williams
    • 464User reviews
    • 354Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 34 wins & 57 nominations total

    Videos10

    The Ghost Writer: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:11
    The Ghost Writer: Trailer #1
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:07
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:07
    "Jumping Ship" from The Ghost Writer
    "Confrontation" from The Ghost Writer
    Clip 1:24
    "Confrontation" from The Ghost Writer
    The Ghost: UK (The Publisher's Office)
    Clip 3:24
    The Ghost: UK (The Publisher's Office)
    The Ghost: UK (I'm Your Ghost)
    Clip 0:35
    The Ghost: UK (I'm Your Ghost)
    The Ghost Writer
    Interview 0:59
    The Ghost Writer

    Photos122

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 116
    View Poster

    Top cast61

    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
    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
      • Roman Polanski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews464

    7.2174.6K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    Blade_Le_Flambeur

    Controlled enigma

    Roman Polanski's 'The Ghost Writer' bears the most in common with his recent 'The Ninth Gate'. The comparison starts this review as many others will inevitably find some comparison to be made with the director's work, especially since his personality looms so large.

    The plot has been described countless times and will be spared here. What instead fascinates is the depiction of Ewan McGregor as the nameless protagonist. He has no family, no real attachments so to speak, and no real drive. Like Johnny Depp's "book detective" in 'The Ninth Gate' his reason for existence seems to be to serve those higher in society. McGregor plays the party well, never completely convincing in one state or the other. Even when under duress his physical movements speak much more about his mental state than his mannerisms. This could be interpreted as Polanski's examination of apathy within larger society. What I mean by that is to say that it is through the Ghost's lack of interest that one can observe the world.

    Shot by Pawel Edelman, who has collaborated with Polanski in the past as well as with other heavyweight Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, the images of 'The Ghost Writer' suggest a cool bleakness. Accompanied by a poetic score by the always reliable Alexandre Desplat the film suggests a constant looming menace, embodied by the rain of the New England island. The camera often remains static, sometimes zeroing in for reactions, but always showing a complete action through a singular movement or lack of movement. Often times the characters seem resigned to their fates. The roles each person plays in the story are very clearly defined. Former-PM Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), surrounded by his lackeys, anti-war protesters, etc. all seem just pieces of grander scale. Polanski's world view is so thoroughly and crisply represented through this visual style it is as if the individual events are not as important as the atmosphere in general.

    This is precisely why the film works, because of a director so in command of his craft. The film runs over 2 hours but every decision feels completely blocked and planned out. Every image carefully composed, every moment of information tightly plotted. 'The Ghost Writer' works terrifically by raising your blood level in this manner. Some will inevitably complain it makes the film seem merely serviceable when such expected plot twists occur. Yet I can think of few filmmakers so readily able to create such a vivid world and sustain it greatly. There are some pacing issues and the music can be overbearing. These are not unlike the problems facing Martin Scorsese's 'Shutter Island'. The talent of all involved makes the film exceed a workmanlike thriller even though the atmosphere on set was so mathematical.

    A very enjoyable, meticulous film that demands and rewards patience. Worth seeing.
    8Chris_Docker

    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.
    8judywalker2

    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.
    7secondtake

    A polished, tightly made, but rather routine political intrigue film...not bad, but!

    The Ghost Writer (2010)

    A very conventional political thriller, well done, smartly paced, but a bit drab or slow at times, too.

    And familiar.

    So you go into this kind of movie looking for what distinguishes it, like the understated performance by Ewan McGregor. And the really gorgeous setting, which looks so much like either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket you'd swear it was. But in fact the utterly incredible house was built for the movie on a sandy island in northern Germany called Sylt. Most of the movie, in fact, was shot in Germany, including Berlin (which was meant to be London), for the simple reason that the director, admitted sex offender Roman Polanski, couldn't travel to the U.S. without being arrested. There are a few driving scenes and scenic inserts that were filmed on Cape Cod (in the U.S.) without Polanski's presence.

    It's interesting that Polanski wanted to make a film that had to be set here even though it made things difficult. Doubly so because his protagonists are all British, making weakly disguised references to Tony Blair (Pierce Brosnan doing a routine job--he really can't act worth beans if an actual emotion is required) and his wife (Olivia Williams, who is absolutely terrific, award material).

    Which brings us back to McGregor, playing a ghost writer for the ex-prime minister's memoirs. He's really terrific at playing someone with savvy but also naiveté. He's smart but at first so trusting he gets into what is obviously a dubious job, his predecessor having just been killed. But we are lulled, too, until events internationally unravel the situation and he discovers some inside information. Of course, this puts him in more danger, and us in more suspense.

    It's good, very good, but we have been here before. The details are different, but the intrigue is the same. Yes, we know about this shadow government where people are manipulated and assassinated while the news coverage is rose and contrived. Yes, we have seen the detemined innocent set out to prove the truth. Even the direct facts, that this young writer is going to rewrite his predecessor's apparently finished memoir, and then begins with the most basic interviews of the subject, don't shape up.

    You'd never know this was directed by Polanski. Or would you? If you look at his earliest films you'll find some edgy, almost cruel quality ("Repulsion") but if you see "Chinatown" you'll actually have a parallel to this one--a well made film in a conventional container (that one has an amazing Jack Nicholson to lift it up). There is of course "Rosemary's Baby," which was lifted by a really creepy story. For "The Ghost Writer," Polanski's last film, you keep thinking there will be a real twist, something large and bizarre or just chilling, but it doesn't really happen. In fact, when the memoir gets published it's all a bit anti-climactic.

    And so, the final ten minutes, at a party, feels like a desperate attempt of the writer, and director, to make all this effort more than just another polished intrigue. At the last minute, a highly improbable final discovery occurs, followed by an even more improbable and shocking last ten seconds. Surprised, we sort of say, okay, I get it, and that's that. Not exactly the reaction you'd want to have after a decent two hours preparing.

    I say no more except that the final seconds are also an homage to Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing." You'll see. Nice touch.
    9Fella_shibby

    Captivating thriller with a solid script n top notch performance by Gregor.

    I saw this few days back on a dvd which I own.

    Inspite of the dvd being in my drawer for a decade, I never felt the urge to go ahead.

    What a fool I was cos this is an amazing thriller with a top notch performance by Gregor.

    The cinematography is excellent n the best part is the script.

    The movie inspite of being a simple thriller has lots of tension n it is very captivating from the go.

    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)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ24

    • How long is The Ghost Writer?Powered by Alexa
    • 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
      • Belgium
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Stream Ghost Writer officially on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El escritor fantasma
    • 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

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer (2010)
    Top Gap
    What was the official certification given to The Ghost Writer (2010) in India?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.