The Ghost Writer (2010)

The tagline for The Ghost Writer should have been 'With great power and money, comes no responsibility.'

We live in a world where bankers ruined the economy, where priests molest children and where the leaders of the free world can break international law through torture, lies and corruption; yet they all get off scott free and with no repercussions. It's a movie of that sort of corruption and in the hands of a lesser filmmaker than Roman Polanski would be a less scathing and suspenseful film and more of a dull and generic thriller. It deals in the same kind of political and social depravity that Polanski has dealt with in the past and already mastered in Chinatown. So why revisit these themes of political and social depravity when he's already made Chinatown? It's because it's needed more than it has in a long time. Sometimes when you start to open your eyes to the corrupt nature of the established order, you need an artist to open the blinds and let the sunshine of truth come in.


The Ghost Writer is the story of a ghost writer(Ewan McGregor) hired to finish the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang(Pierce Brosnan)amidst a scandal where he's being accused of handing over terrorist suspects to the CIA for torture. Lang is a mixture of Tony Blair and George W. Bush, though mostly Blair. As played by Pierce Brosnan he has an air of arrogance and sense of entitlement that we've seen a lot of in those two leaders. The ghost writer, which we never get the real name of, is a bestselling hack writer that almost reminds one of Holly Martins in the film The Third Man. In both, the protagonist is a spineless smart ass who's always a few steps behind and way over their heads in what they're doing. They've both read or wrote too many pulp novels and believe that they too can be private detectives in a murder case. Luckily, just like in The Third Man, we have a lead in Ewan McGregor that is likeable and easy to root for. He doesn't quite live up to Joseph Cotten's skill, but in this movie he gets damn close.


The film has a few actors that are surprisingly good and fit perfectly in their roles. Never have I seen Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan or Kim Catrall better. When those names pop up on the marquee, it often isn't a good sign. In this case they not only surpass expectation but are borderline revelatory, especially McGregor and Brosnan. They show that given the right material and director that they're great actors. It doesn't hurt that they share screen time with Olivia Williams in what is a subtle and striking performance as Lang's wife. There are also great small parts played to perfection by the likes of Tom Wilkinson(King Midas of actors), Timothy Hutton, James Belushi and the legendary Eli Wallach.


There is an air of mystery in the atmosphere and in the ghost's conversations with the people around him that so few filmmakers could pull off. This is not only a throwback to the great political thrillers of the 70's but of the thrillers of Hitchcock. Polanski is a master of suspense and he slowly builds it up throughout with an ease and subtlety that is unmatched. It's the kind of suspense that doesn't always end with action, but sometimes with laughter. The Ghost Writer not only has scathing political awareness, suspense and drama, but also great humor. There's many "comedies" that never match the humor utilized in The Ghost Writer. There's also many films that never match the visual beauty of The Ghost Writer either. Sure, it's often overcast and rainy but Polanski's camera is as curious as characters are of each other and they're surroundings. It attempts to see the world in an authentic way, but is also slick and cinematic. Aesthetically there's a great balancing act that is as successful as the pitch perfect script by Polanski and Robert Harris.


The Ghost Writer is a film that proves wrong to all those that say they don't make them like they used to. It's not only a fun night at the movies but a movie with themes and messages that are needed. It's a movie of suspense, drama, mystery, and humor that both arthouse viewers and mainstream viewers can appreciate. It may be the best thriller to come out all year, but also may have the most impressive and haunting final image. An image that is thematically tied to the masterful ending of Chinatown. Instead of a famous last line to latch onto like in Chinatown, we are left to sit, ponder and stew as the haunting sound and image of our projection of freedom blows through the breeze — to be disregarded and lost in the whirlwind of corruption.

Repulsion (1965)

The opening shot of Repulsion is a close up of the main character's eyes. They're shifting and jump cuts are being employed to tell the viewer that something is not quite right. The eyes belong to Carole who is played by the stunning Catherine Deneuve. The viewer gets a subjective view through these eyes but because it's a slow descension into insanity the protagonist is unreliable at best. There isn't much explanation for why the events are happening so all you can do is look on in horror at what unfolds in front of you.

The predominant issue that contributes to Carole's descent into psychosis is her fear of men and sex. We only get hints as to why this is. Whether it be the disgust she shows towards her sister's married boyfriend or her avoidance of a sincere suitor. She is sexually repressed but also repulsed by the thought of sex. It seems her only sexual experience(s) was traumatic and has informed her perspective of it. The past not only informs who we are in general, but who we are sexually.


Throughout the film there are constant noises, whether it be a ticking clock, the church bell across the street or a piano being played in the building. When she walks to work, she has to deal with whizzing cars and busy sidewalks. It doesn't help that she can hear her sister having sex in the next room at night. The only moments in the film of silence are of nightmarish hallucinations she suffers. They are truly horrifying and don't reduce her repulsion towards men.

After her sister goes on vacation, Carole starts to crack. She barricades herself in her apartment to keep the outside world from coming in. Her apartment becomes a major character. The rooms become distorted and she starts to crack up as do the walls that surround her. This begins the spiral of insanity.


Repulsion wouldn't be the film it is without Catherine Deneuve. She is cast as a shy beauty who is masking a lot of problems. Her beauty is so sensational that the people around her don't notice that anything is wrong with her. They only see her at face value — they don't know her repressive nature. It is not often in a film where you see a woman's beauty being used to add depth to her character. Deneuve would revisit sexual repression, though in a very different manner, in the impressive film Belle De Jour.

Repulsion influenced many that came after it, including Eraserhead. Both films have similar dreary interiors, sharp black and white photography and include rotting as symbolism. Roman Polanski's direction in Repulsion is pitch perfect and he hits every note just right. The interior lighting is exceptionally used to show the mental state Carole is in. The segues are some of the best I've seen and the slow build up throughout is intense. He uses the same subjective storytelling that he would perfect in his masterpiece Chinatown. This is both psychological thriller and horror at it's best.


Horror is an inconsistent genre filled with loud music to scare the audience, cliches and corny stories. Most don't have the patience to build suspense nor give you characters to empathize with. They show gruesome imagery without any context or meaning behind it. They're throw away movies that are forgotten after their opening weekend, until the sequel comes out. If filmmakers in the horror genre would watch this film(and others like it)and allow it's influence into their work, the world would be a better place and a less repulsive one at that.