Overall, not too bad. Largely deft, with an intriguing plot. An intelligent adaptation of a political thriller. With a story that scarily echoes the real world of sometime UK-US political relations. We constantly feel on edge . . . That parts of this story could all too easily be true to life . . .
It has lovely moments of Hitchcockian style - without being in any way a cheap copy - including evocative background music. Hitchock loved to use the masterworks of composer Bernard Hermann; Polanski here uses Alexandre Desplat, to great effect, and as he often has in other films. Two artists working in unison.
Quiet action scenes make the film wonderfully atmospheric. Even the car 'tracking' scene has little action to it, and avoids being the chase sequence other films would have presented. The scene is nicely played down to a stealthy pace. Again, a wonderful homage to Alfred H.
It is a dark film in content and in style, but that adds to the mystique of the story. Layers are revealed as the plot moves on, until we see what has really been going on.
So: it works fine as a movie . . . Until it doesn't! . . .
Olivia Williams' character is written unevenly. We are never told why she is so angry with her husband. Then the character is seen in the political power module of the film. A very different personality. In the end her character almost seems to be two different people, and so far apart in nature as to be unbelievable.
There are several other plot holes. McGregor never explains why he throws down the gauntlet to Williams, and unless he was on a suicide mission it was a foolish move. His character appeared desperate, before the very end scenes, to go home and get away from it all, but instead he gets more involved. So the viewer should have been told if indeed he had a deathwish or had given up trying to exit the situation and move on to enjoy life elsewhere.
These gaps form noticeable chasms in the story. Which is a shame, as a bit of reviewing the movie pre-release would have meant the production team could have filled in the necessary missing elements.
Fortunately the actors do a very good job. So no critique there. Brosnan is perfect in the casting, playing a handsome once-powerful man, and looking and portraying the part to a 'T'. And McGregor is excellent as a behind-the-scenes ghostwriter, seemingly unassuming until he steps up his involvement in the story. And he plays the role to perfection: a man who is rather low-key by nature but then changes, as events take course, to dynamic and effective. Then there are the minor characters - played by such as Tom Wilkinson - who appositely complement the big players.
The cinematography is excellent. The greyness of the scenes - with frequent drenching rain - sets the rather dark & murky environment the ghostwriter has inadvertently become involved in. Scene-setting works: the severe-looking sharp-edged granite house of the former P. M. is like a gulag, restraining the once-powerful man. Costumes suit the characters perfectly. The incidental music is ideal: while not interfering with the course of the story, each musical piece adds just enough nuance to the scene.
The story runs along nicely, largely well put together . . . But then rushes the last 10 mins. The protagonist (Ewan McGregor) discovers a secret code - thus solving the mystery he has been investigating - incredibly quickly. And we are not told just HOW he works it out: there was no lead-in justifying such a momentous discovery in the mere moments it took. Plus Olivia WIlliams' character's key interplay was just dumped in suddenly at the end of the film, with little of the required explanation as to her role with her husband when he was the P. M., and how her involvement developed.
Certain scenes are particularly catching. I DID like the scene where a chain of note-carriers pass the piece of paper that will tell Williams what McGregor knows. It was a stylish, and original scene - worth an Oscar in itself! However, the rest of the closing scenes falter. The revelation at the end is rushed: it is neither a neat 'Ta-da!' nor a fully fleshed denouement. It's just a 'mushy' end to the tale.
I also liked the car-off-camera moment at the end. Very subtle yet slick. Although I'd be interested to know if the end of this film matches the novel from which it was adapted . . . I feel not . . .
The gaps that we see in the film damage the end product. The final scenes of the movie make the film uneven and skewed; whereas much of the rest of the film is well-balanced, so can't be faulted.
So, at the end, the film seems to just suddenly cease, falling flat on its face. Lots of build-up in the preceding hours, then it loses its way. Ingenious parts and moments of promise earlier in the movie fail in the end to deliver the clearly defined close it deserves. Such a shame.
Frankly, due to the patchiness of its content, the film is worth only 6.5 stars. However, I've had to opt for 7 stars as 6.5 is not on offer at IMDb. Increasing the star rating to 7 (rather than rounding it down to 6) is a reference to the features of the story that are good. Thank goodness for those good attributes . . .
It has lovely moments of Hitchcockian style - without being in any way a cheap copy - including evocative background music. Hitchock loved to use the masterworks of composer Bernard Hermann; Polanski here uses Alexandre Desplat, to great effect, and as he often has in other films. Two artists working in unison.
Quiet action scenes make the film wonderfully atmospheric. Even the car 'tracking' scene has little action to it, and avoids being the chase sequence other films would have presented. The scene is nicely played down to a stealthy pace. Again, a wonderful homage to Alfred H.
It is a dark film in content and in style, but that adds to the mystique of the story. Layers are revealed as the plot moves on, until we see what has really been going on.
So: it works fine as a movie . . . Until it doesn't! . . .
Olivia Williams' character is written unevenly. We are never told why she is so angry with her husband. Then the character is seen in the political power module of the film. A very different personality. In the end her character almost seems to be two different people, and so far apart in nature as to be unbelievable.
There are several other plot holes. McGregor never explains why he throws down the gauntlet to Williams, and unless he was on a suicide mission it was a foolish move. His character appeared desperate, before the very end scenes, to go home and get away from it all, but instead he gets more involved. So the viewer should have been told if indeed he had a deathwish or had given up trying to exit the situation and move on to enjoy life elsewhere.
These gaps form noticeable chasms in the story. Which is a shame, as a bit of reviewing the movie pre-release would have meant the production team could have filled in the necessary missing elements.
Fortunately the actors do a very good job. So no critique there. Brosnan is perfect in the casting, playing a handsome once-powerful man, and looking and portraying the part to a 'T'. And McGregor is excellent as a behind-the-scenes ghostwriter, seemingly unassuming until he steps up his involvement in the story. And he plays the role to perfection: a man who is rather low-key by nature but then changes, as events take course, to dynamic and effective. Then there are the minor characters - played by such as Tom Wilkinson - who appositely complement the big players.
The cinematography is excellent. The greyness of the scenes - with frequent drenching rain - sets the rather dark & murky environment the ghostwriter has inadvertently become involved in. Scene-setting works: the severe-looking sharp-edged granite house of the former P. M. is like a gulag, restraining the once-powerful man. Costumes suit the characters perfectly. The incidental music is ideal: while not interfering with the course of the story, each musical piece adds just enough nuance to the scene.
The story runs along nicely, largely well put together . . . But then rushes the last 10 mins. The protagonist (Ewan McGregor) discovers a secret code - thus solving the mystery he has been investigating - incredibly quickly. And we are not told just HOW he works it out: there was no lead-in justifying such a momentous discovery in the mere moments it took. Plus Olivia WIlliams' character's key interplay was just dumped in suddenly at the end of the film, with little of the required explanation as to her role with her husband when he was the P. M., and how her involvement developed.
Certain scenes are particularly catching. I DID like the scene where a chain of note-carriers pass the piece of paper that will tell Williams what McGregor knows. It was a stylish, and original scene - worth an Oscar in itself! However, the rest of the closing scenes falter. The revelation at the end is rushed: it is neither a neat 'Ta-da!' nor a fully fleshed denouement. It's just a 'mushy' end to the tale.
I also liked the car-off-camera moment at the end. Very subtle yet slick. Although I'd be interested to know if the end of this film matches the novel from which it was adapted . . . I feel not . . .
The gaps that we see in the film damage the end product. The final scenes of the movie make the film uneven and skewed; whereas much of the rest of the film is well-balanced, so can't be faulted.
So, at the end, the film seems to just suddenly cease, falling flat on its face. Lots of build-up in the preceding hours, then it loses its way. Ingenious parts and moments of promise earlier in the movie fail in the end to deliver the clearly defined close it deserves. Such a shame.
Frankly, due to the patchiness of its content, the film is worth only 6.5 stars. However, I've had to opt for 7 stars as 6.5 is not on offer at IMDb. Increasing the star rating to 7 (rather than rounding it down to 6) is a reference to the features of the story that are good. Thank goodness for those good attributes . . .