The Ghost Writer
A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.
What critics thought
Critics broadly embraced The Ghost Writer as a late-career return to form for Polanski — a tightly wound, stylishly executed political thriller with Ewan McGregor anchoring a genuinely tense screenplay. The strongest debates weren't about quality but about politics: several commentators, particularly in the UK, attacked the film as ideologically motivated anti-Blair propaganda rather than engaging with it as cinema.
“The Pianist had its moments, but Polanski hasn't made a movie so sustained in the decades since The Tenant or even 1966's Cul de Sac.”
Jim Hoberman·The Village Voice
“the work of a man who knows how to direct a thriller”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“what an expertly executed thriller is supposed to be.”
Keith Uhlich·Time Out New York
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Roman PolanskiDirector
Ewan McGregorThe Ghost
Pierce BrosnanAdam Lang
Kim CattrallAmelia Bly
Olivia WilliamsRuth Lang
Tom WilkinsonPaul Emmett
Timothy HuttonSidney Kroll
Jon BernthalRick Ricardelli
Tim PreeceRoy
Robert PughRichard Rycart
David RintoulStranger
Eli WallachOld man
Jim BelushiJohn Maddox
Alexandre DesplatComposer
Robert HarrisWriter
Paweł EdelmanCinematographyThe Ghost Writer
A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.
What critics thought
Critics broadly embraced The Ghost Writer as a late-career return to form for Polanski — a tightly wound, stylishly executed political thriller with Ewan McGregor anchoring a genuinely tense screenplay. The strongest debates weren't about quality but about politics: several commentators, particularly in the UK, attacked the film as ideologically motivated anti-Blair propaganda rather than engaging with it as cinema.
“The Pianist had its moments, but Polanski hasn't made a movie so sustained in the decades since The Tenant or even 1966's Cul de Sac.”
Jim Hoberman·The Village Voice
“the work of a man who knows how to direct a thriller”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“what an expertly executed thriller is supposed to be.”
Keith Uhlich·Time Out New York
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Roman PolanskiDirectorEwan McGregorThe GhostPierce BrosnanAdam LangKim CattrallAmelia BlyOlivia WilliamsRuth LangTom WilkinsonPaul EmmettTimothy HuttonSidney KrollJon BernthalRick RicardelliTim PreeceRoyRobert PughRichard RycartDavid RintoulStrangerEli WallachOld manJim BelushiJohn MaddoxAlexandre DesplatComposerRobert HarrisWriterPaweł EdelmanCinematography