I enjoyed this for the suspense, not knowing the story at all. I also enjoyed the fact that it is unmistakably a Roman Polanski film. There are some implausible elements, but personally I chose to take these in as part of the story. It is not supposed to resemble real life, so I'm happy to go along with it. The atmosphere of menace on the island seemed very effective, and the air of mystery surrounding what happened to the previous ghost writer was well done.
I was convinced that there were clues within the manuscript, which Ewan McGregor's character was given to work on and which he thought was boring, but which was the key to the mystery. He carried it around with him, and its importance seemed to be stressed by several of the characters. In this age of electronic documents, it was unusual to see someone carting a huge pile of paper around.
I agree with others about Olivia Williams's performance. I have always liked her, seen her on stage playing Shakespeare many years ago, and she is excellent here. The parallels between this ex-PM and his wife ad the Blairs don't really extend to the personalities of the people involved, and the relationship between this fictional couple is fascinating.
Googling the CIA? It should not be possible, and yet there is a lot of information out there. In Polanski's world, reality is not the same as in our world (I've noticed this in several of his films). It's a plot device as a short-cut for the character to find out the vital information he needs.
The ending was good, although I can agree to some extent about implausibility of the final scene. However, it reminded me vividly of a scene in Frantic, an earlier Polanski thriller, in which Harrison Ford's wife is abducted off-screen. The event befalling McGregor's character is unseen an yet we are clear about what happened.
I like Polanski's style and I think this film has a lot to recommend it. Suspend disbelief and you will enjoy the ride.
I was convinced that there were clues within the manuscript, which Ewan McGregor's character was given to work on and which he thought was boring, but which was the key to the mystery. He carried it around with him, and its importance seemed to be stressed by several of the characters. In this age of electronic documents, it was unusual to see someone carting a huge pile of paper around.
I agree with others about Olivia Williams's performance. I have always liked her, seen her on stage playing Shakespeare many years ago, and she is excellent here. The parallels between this ex-PM and his wife ad the Blairs don't really extend to the personalities of the people involved, and the relationship between this fictional couple is fascinating.
Googling the CIA? It should not be possible, and yet there is a lot of information out there. In Polanski's world, reality is not the same as in our world (I've noticed this in several of his films). It's a plot device as a short-cut for the character to find out the vital information he needs.
The ending was good, although I can agree to some extent about implausibility of the final scene. However, it reminded me vividly of a scene in Frantic, an earlier Polanski thriller, in which Harrison Ford's wife is abducted off-screen. The event befalling McGregor's character is unseen an yet we are clear about what happened.
I like Polanski's style and I think this film has a lot to recommend it. Suspend disbelief and you will enjoy the ride.