The Ghost Writer (PG-13, 2010)

A British writer (Ewan MacGregor) is hired to be ex-Prime Minister Adam Lang’s (Pierce Brosnan) “ghost,” meaning he will be revising the politician’s memoirs. The original ghost writer washed up on the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, presumably a suicide or the victim of an accidental drowning. Before he even sets foot on the Vineyard estate in which the PM is holed up, MacGregor's character is mugged -- just the beginning of a series of mishaps that grow increasingly fraught with malevolence. Then, Lang is accused of war crimes. Soon after embarking on the project, the new ghost writer discovers untruths, not including the unraveling of the PM’s marriage (Olivia Williams plays the wife), that point to a scandal of international proportions. The writer might just end up like his predecessor.

THE GHOST WRITER opens with a ferry docking in the gloom of a rainy night. On board, a car is unclaimed, the whereabouts of its driver unknown. And so begins this mind-bending thriller based on a novel by Robert Harris that sheds its skin like the proverbial onion, one engrossing layer at a time. Director Roman Polanski has always been great with atmospherics, and he doesn’t disappoint here. For all the complications of his personal life, his filmmaking faculties are clearly intact. He maintains a strong grip on the storytelling, revealing only what’s necessary, and exactly at the right time. Despite the film’s length, no moment is a waste.

No performance, either. MacGregor is superb, a bemused observer who quickly finds himself on shifting earth. Brosnan relishes a role shaded decidedly gray, and Williams is a perfect woman scorned. The supporting cast, crowded with names like Timothy Hutton, Eli Wallach, and Tom Wilkinson, makes the most of their moments. Kim Catrall, almost wholly identified with the Sex and the City franchise, makes you forget she’s usually a randy cougar. The ending: Though it may feel too cinematically perfect, it works, and very well.