After the ghost writer of his memoirs washes up on the beach in an apparent suicide, former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) finds himself in need of a replacement. Enter Ewan Macgregor's unnamed Ghost, who is hired with some trepidation by the publisher, but who has a reputation for objectivity and most importantly, working fast - which is good, because the way things are looking for Lang, the PM may soon be sitting in a cell for war crimes.
Of course, being a Ghost, the writer attempts to remain outside of the increasingly messy events of Lang's life - above and beyond the story.But his very presence near the PM sweeps the Ghost up unwillingly into the mysterious death of the latter's predecessor and a very real fear for his own life.
It should be said that the movie doesn't lack for terrific, textured performances (save for one). As the Ghost, Macgregor plays a refinement of the smartass persona that he's projected over the last 15 years of roles. He's the guy who would much rather be doing anything but getting involved. As Lang, Brosnan also plays a variation on some of his more recent roles: Tony Blair by way of his perfomances in films like The Matador and The Tailor of Panama. Lang is a charmer who's secretly afraid he's an empty suit. With his memoirs, Lang is desperately attempting to control the image of himself he leaves for history. Olivia Williams is the standout as Lang's wife, Ruth who sees the crumbling of her husband's reputation as the imminent death of their marriage. She's the keeper of secrets and it's clear that without Lang she's unsure who she'll be. Even Jim Belushi has a small but effective role as a gruff publisher, convincing me someone needs to write a script with him as the heavy ASAP.
Unfortunately, Kim Cattrall is awful in nearly every scene she's in, with an inconsistent British accent and a plastic performance that at first seems intentional and later feels like the only dimension she's capable to bringing to the character.
I mentioned that The Ghost Writer is not an effective thriller - when the movie focuses on its characters it crackles with energy but the scenes where the Ghost is dragged into the plot outside the plot almost seem perfunctory. I dislike these segments of the movie because they pull MacGregor and Brosnan apart for large parts of the runtime, much to the production's detriment. Worse and more importantly, the big reveal at the core of the film is telegraphed midway through, and when it ultimately comes to light it's in such a silly, contrived manner that had me chuckling when it should not have.
More importantly, the mystery makes the story feel small - not intimate, just built with a very narrow view of evil in this world. It's a view that palpably needs a conspiracy to justify acts of evil. In its resolution of the mystery it reaches all kinds of talking points about military-industrial complex without saying anything particularly compelling.
One other odd note: there's some conspicuous audio looping for profanity to get the film to its PG-13 rating here in the U.S.. It's not a huge thing but it's kind of distracting.