On an island off the US Eastern seaboard, a British ex-PM needs a new ghost writer to help with his memoirs. The ex-premier can’t leave, for fear he may be hauled up for his involvement in the Iraq war – and the writer’s predecessor died inmurky circumstances.
Roman Polanski’s insidious thriller isn’t top rate, but it’s crafty, intelligent and rich with atmosphere. Ewan McGregor’s a touch dull as the ‘ghost’, but Pierce Brosnan does a fine job of hinting at Tony Blair without clumsy impersonation, and Tom Wilkinson turns in a relishable cameo.
Meanwhile, Olivia Williams, playing the politico’s restless wife, all but walks off with the movie.
