The Ghost Writer

Despite the length of this unrelenting film, no moment or performance is a waste. 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.

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.