The Ghost Writer

Some stories are built on passion, some on courage and some on hope. Very rarely do you come across a love story that encompasses itself around a journey. The Ghost Writer introduces us to the world of Pierce Brosnan, who mirrors the most innocent of sentiments which lie locked up within the depths of our heart. He wins us over in the first frame, because he is one among us. It is not his heroism which makes him surreal, but his vulnerability which makes him endear-able. The audience falls in love with Pierce Brosnan because he is scared of the unknown just like us. What makes him a hero is his conviction and spirit, which makes him embark on a nationwide journey for the search of love and faith. It is somewhere in that journey, that you no longer root for Brosnan and his victory, but for Adam Lang and his belief, which makes The Ghost Writer a winner right from the opening credits.

His name is Lang, Adam Lang. Brought up in an unforgiving society, Lang battles the alternate evils of racial profile and scornful peers with equal focus, trying to make sense of the world that burns homes, bullies people at school and make a false show of sympathy. He goes by the doctrine of his Ammi, who teaches him that there are two classes of people in the world, those who are good and would offer a lollipop and those who are bad and would point a gun. There is no caste, creed or religion but just people who shape the world. It is this philosophy which Lang carries forward in his love and faith, painting his journey in a collage of alternate light and dark emotions, shadow plays of human nature which guides him to the world or perhaps, guides the world towards him.

The Ghost Writer is appreciable because of its brilliance, acceptable for its nobility and unquestionable in its integrity. Roman Polanski weaves in a tale of love, faith, religion and humanity within a cinematic frame of 160 minutes pulling out a riveting and compelling human drama of innocence poised against the system, through the filtered sensibilities of a former British prime minister, one who cannot understand the world, but love it enough to change it. The keynotes of each frame, drenched with subtle social comments and complex emotional undertones makes the movie an amalgamation of the colors of hope and persistence, with layered textures of unspoken bonds. With Brosnan, Polanski succeeds in bringing the system on trial through the eyes of one who cannot bias himself on any ideology, making his emotions pure and though provoking, which touches the innermost chords of the heart, moistening the eyes and serenading the senses.

The story is filled with emotional subtexts which move at breakneck speed throughout the length of the film, constantly switching gears between the palettes of emotions. The dialogs exude class and confidence holding grip of the story yet laced with the finesse that allows for emotional drama combined with spiritual uprising, casting a satire on the entire system and its treatment of identities. The script penned by Robert Harris is one of par excellence, allowing the audience to blend into Brosnan through his smiles and tears, laugh in his joy and cringe with every blow dealt to him. The screenplay drops hypocritical moral ambitions to make scathingly relevant comments on modern outlook of the world, making it rise several notches above anything attempted in Bollywood.

In the end, The Ghost Writer becomes the experience it is because of Brosnan and McGregor, essayed flawlessly by Harris and Polanski. McGregor exudes the spirit of the titular ghost writer in every breath and pulse of the film, putting in a performance that is beyond any benchmark of excellence. He controls every single emotional nerve of the audience with vacant stares and dimpled smiles, towering like an illusionist conjuring up a magical performance of a lifetime. He breaks every stereotypical mould attached to him to rise like a phoenix from the ashes with Brosnan, who reigns over the audience in a sweeping wave of emotions, establishing a bond that scales beyond the arc-lights of the 70mm screen. He is complimented by McGregor whose very presence lights up the entire room with just a flashing smile. He balances the sensitivity of love and charm with the emotional conflict of a ravaged heart with effortless poise. The interactions between McGregor and Brosnan form the highlights of the film, filled with the cackling chemistry of a uninhibited passion, captivating the audience in the mesmerizing spell of the couple. Olivia Williams as Brosnan's wife delivers a matured and restrained performance while Kim Cattrall as Amelia Bly blends in simplicity with sensibility in a performance that comes straight from the heart. Anna Botting is exceptional as the young SKY TV Newsreader in her mannerisms while the supporting cast all deliver credible performances including Yvonne Tomlinson in a dazzling cameo.

There will always be movies that enchant us with their magic, but there will hardly be a journey that goes beyond cinematic borders to deliver the experience of a lifetime. The Ghost Writer is undoubtedly the new face of global cinema that enthralls with each passing frame, healing the hidden scars of the heart with its message of a better and humane world. There might be superheroes, but there will never be one Ewan McGregor, who takes pride in being ordinary and yet changes the face of the world.

Earlier time scales used B.C. and A.D. to mark important events. After 12th February 2010, the scales of humanity would mark the world before and after the release of The Ghost Writer.
当一个成功的英国影子写手“影子”同意为英国前首相亚当•郎写完回忆录的时候，他的经纪人向他保证这是他一生的一个机遇。但是从一开始这个计划就仿佛被厄运笼罩——因为他的前任写手，亚当•郎的长期助手麦克•艾尔从伍兹霍尔渡轮上掉下去淹死了，虽说这只是一起意外事故但是其中的颇多疑点难免让人心生怀疑和不详的预感。
　　影子在接受这份工作之后，他的女朋友就离开了他：“她觉得他背叛了她，她曾经是一名党员。”影子在隆冬季节飞到了位于美国东海岸一座岛屿上的房子开始着手这项计划。但是就在他抵达之后的第二天，英国前外交大臣就协助中情局逮捕了亚当•郎。
　　因为一份他在职期间的备忘录透露，郎犯有非法扣押恐怖分子嫌疑人并让他们接受酷刑的战争罪。现在，亚当•郎面临着被送上国际军事法庭的迫在眉睫的威胁。而这件事，在英国国内也引起了广泛的关注。
　　争议使得记者和示威者涌郎在岛上的豪宅，郎跟他的妻子露丝，以及他的个人助理（兼情妇）阿梅利亚呆在那里。随着影子的枪手工作的展开，他开始发现郎的被捕不是一件简单的政治事件，也不是郎一个人的过失。看起来，这好像是他的前任，麦克•艾尔故意捏造而杜撰的“真相”，而且麦克•艾尔也不是一个简单的人物，他一直在暗地里给中情局发送资料，“揭露”或者是“栽赃”前首相亚当•郎。而现在，这些蛛丝马迹的证据，就藏在麦克•艾尔留下的手稿里……　

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