Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Ghost Writer

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Ghost Writer – Opening February 19, 2010



There are plenty of reasons that this film looks incredibly exciting, but the main one is that it appears to be an above-average telling of an average story, sort of like what many people thought “Michael Clayton” was. A writer is hired to ghost write the former British prime minister’s memoirs and stumbles upon information that leads him to believe his situation is infinitely more serious and deadly than he might ever have expected. What makes that sound especially fantastic? First and foremost, it comes from Roman Polanski, a master of taking seemingly harmless subject matter and making it incredibly volatile and gripping, evidenced primarily in his 1974 classic “Chinatown.” The fact that Polanski was arrested midway through production and completed the film from his jail cell is also especially impressive, and it’s almost intriguing enough to make it worth seeing on that note alone. The cast is another positive factor, using two actors in roles that work well and putting another two in parts that don’t necessarily suit them but look to be good fits based on their appearances in the trailer. Ewan McGregor is the man in trouble, blind to the perils of his situation as he uncovers mystery after mystery, and he seems reminiscent of Cary Grant in “North by Northwest.” Olivia Williams’ role isn’t clear in the trailer, but her character’s name indicates that she might be the prime minister’s wife or ex-wife. Either way, the way she speaks stirs up the best recollections of her fearsome performance in “Dollhouse” on television this past season. Kim Cattrall gets serious as one of the prime minister’s right-hand men and delivers the best line of the trailer: “you’re the writer, that makes you an accomplice.” And then there’s Pierce Brosnan, who trades fast-talking and, heaven forbid, singing, for silent and intimidating as the prime minister himself. The director and the cast are certainly worthwhile arguments to see this film, but plain and simple, this looks like a return to noir, and that’s quite a compelling reason to check this one out. Despite relatively recent buzz, it’s out in theatres this Friday, so I’ll be seeing it as soon as I can, and you can expect a review on Movies With Abe in the coming weeks.