The Ghost Writer

First Hit: A very good timely film with wonderfully constructed scenes.

Ewan McGregor plays "The Ghost"; the ghost writer who is selected to pick up where a recently deceased ghost writer left off.

The opening scene shows him interviewing for the job and it perfectly sets the tone for his skills and proclivities. The Ghost is brash, likes to drink, prone to pointed quips and intelligent. The project he is interviewing for is to complete the autobiography of Britain’s recent Prime Minister Adam Lang (played by Pierce Brosnan).

The manuscript is under lock and key and stored in a safe at a beach house Lang occupies while he is in the US. The beach house is modern, highly secured, has cement walls with modern art, and gas and rock fireplaces giving it the feel of a high priced bunker.

This setting prescribes that there is reason to worry about the contents of the manuscript. But after his first read of the manuscript The Ghost wonders what all the fuss is about. In fact he rolls his eyes after the first read of the manuscript.

Amelia, Lang's assistant, (played by Kim Cattrall) is the primary keeper of the key to the manuscript’s safe and is also a competitor for Lang’s romantic attention. Lang's wife Ruth (played by Olivia Williams) is a highly intelligent and Lang counts on her opinion for most of his decisions. 

As The Ghost starts work on his assignment, the World Court in The Hague starts investigative proceedings into war crimes against Lang and possibly his US White House counterpart (film suggests it George W. Bush). This complicates his work and slowly but surely he begins to become investigative about the death of his predecessor and the reason why Lang's information doesn't add up.

One of the things I liked about this film was that The Ghost doesn’t know all the answers ahead of time and there is a slow awakening towards the reasons why the previous Ghost died in addition to the how and why Lang got into politics.

McGregor is very strong in this role as The Ghost. He clearly isn’t an investigative reporter, but slowly he gets caught up in putting the pieces together and does a good job of portraying this inquisitive growth. Brosnan is very good as the smart but slightly out of touch former Prime Minister who has been manipulated and doesn’t know it. Williams and Cattrall were also very good as protagonists towards each other and supporters of Lang. Polanski clearly had a vision for this film and didn’t attempt to create suspense and drama with camera movement. He created it with simple well choreographed long shots which embedded the film with thoughtful forbearance.

Overall: Well executed and timely film about the political climate. However, I was distracted throughout the film by wondering if the film was really being shot in the US (Cape Cod area) with Polanski’s current legal trouble and noted during the credits, it was shot elsewhere.

Angels & Demons

First Hit: Poorly constructed, not believable, and without suspense.

I’m not sure why this film was made except to rake in money from the audience who watched its poorly made predecessor The Da Vinci Code.

At the beginning we find ourselves in a lab in Sweden they create three hermetically sealed containers of anti-matter. This is dangerous stuff, they say. Someone steals one of the containers by gouging out one of the scientist’s eyeballs to use on a retinal scanner which allows him to break into the room where the anti-matter is kept.

Next, there is a threat on the Vatican to blow it up with the anti-matter and it is made more important because the same guy kidnaps 4 important Cardinals and they are each scheduled to die just prior to the antimatter blowing up the Vatican.

The Pope has died and his young helper (Played by Ewan McGregor) has temporary and limited Pope power so he tries to help solve the crime (or does he?).

To save the day (Find the anti-matter and kidnapped Cardinals) they call in Robert Langdon (Played by Tom Hanks) who doesn’t get on well with the Vatican because of his previous book which dissed the Vatican and the Catholics. But they need his expertise in the real history of Catholicism to tell them about the Illuminati, a secret sect that broke off from the Vatican because they delved in finding out the truth of humanity through science.

To assist Langdon the scientist, Vittoria Vetra (Played by Ayelet Zurer), who helped create the antimatter joins in the search because she is the only one who can change the battery in the anti-matter’s container. The battery keeps it from becoming matter and exploding.

Ron Howard, as director, shoots nice pictures but really needs to focus on finding good material about people that we can care about. Tom Hanks must be in the sunset of his career if he couldn’t see that this film has no soul and nothing to care about. I’d ask him to remember Philadelphia and Forrest Gump and do a gap analysis against any script he receives. As for the rest of the cast, they were not believable except Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss who seemed to bring some authenticity to his role.

Overall: A visually pretty waste of talent and time. But if you like driving around Rome fast in cars this film might be for you.

The International

First Hit: As far as thrillers go this was pretty good and it kept my interest throughout.

Clive Owen has the right kind of look, feel and intensity to carry off the character of Louis Salinger a government inspector hot on the trail of the members of the IBBC Bank. He was once foiled in his investigation a few years earlier when he was working for Scotland Yard and because it hurt his integrity, he’s on a mission and won’t give up until he gets the bank.

The bank, in this timely film, has its hands in everything and, according to the senior officers, is always a few steps from making tons of money from people’s suffering or suffering huge losses by these decisions. This bank, in particular, is involved with financing guns and weapons.

However, what the film does well is talk about that it isn’t the financing that makes the bank money it is the power, control, and influence they gain in owning the debt nations create to gain these weapons. This timely film touches and reflects on the absurd financial crisis our banks are experiencing.

The banks created debt and their choices were so bad that their strategy failed which resulted in their failing us.

The director was clear with his intent and made this film about the characters and not as much about the action. Although the big shoot out at the Guggenheim museum was a major scene, it didn’t out weight either the characters or the overall aim of the film. Naomi Watts was good as Eleanor Whitman, as Louis’ boss and as a New York based DA working with Interpol to make a case against the bank.

Overall: A very good thriller that kept a wonderful pace, didn’t over complicate the story and provided information as to how some banks might operate.

Taken

First Hit: This is a no bones about it film. You know the plot, you know the ending, and it is well done.

Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills a retired CIA operative who was a “preventer” which meant he prevented major world issues from happening while in the service for his country.

His job took him all over the world and therefore he wasn’t home much. He missed being with his daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace) and therefore as she turns 17 years old, he wants to recapture what he lost, so he retires and moves to be near his daughter and hopefully rekindle his relationship with her.

His former wife and daughter ask him to sign a form allowing her to travel to Europe which is customary in divorce cases when the child is under 18. Him being the ever cautious person because of his former life gives her an international cell phone and asks her to call every night.

When he speaks with her the first time, it so happens that her roommate is being abducted and she is about to be abducted. Liam heads to Paris to find his daughter and save her from her abductees.

The director Pierre Morel kept this film under control the whole way. Liam played to his strengths and wasn't trying to be someone he wasn’t (like romancing someone half his age). The crooks were mean and dark enough and I loved the guy sitting at the table when Liam enters the compound where girls, like his daughter, are kept. This guy had that look that said “I’m bad, I know I’m bad, you know I’m bad and I don’t need to say a thing.”

Overall: This a straightforward adventure thriller and it works because the scenes are crisp, tight and clear. There is little confusion in this film and it is simply one to sit back and enjoy.

Lakeview Terrace

First Hit: Samuel Jackson gives an intense performance and left me thinking I wouldn't want him to be my adversary or neighbor.

There are different aspects which make this film a thriller. Primarily it is the performance of Samuel Jackson as Able. He can be creepy, sarcastic, and vengeful.

Being a 28 year veteran on the LA South Central police force who has recently lost his wife allows him to give us a brooding controlling man who is deeply troubled. His new neighbors are Lisa (Kerry Washington) and Chris (Patrick Wilson) are mixed race couple, and for some reason Able has an issue with them. He shines bright spotlights into their bedroom, makes racist comments, and, as only Jackson can, gives intense looks of intimidation and power when he speaks to (and at) his new neighbors.

The racist issues are highlighted when Able tells Chris how his wife died in a car crash with a white man when she was suppose to be at work. However, there are other issues as well including the intimidating attitude which policemen use.

During a housewarming party Lisa and Chris give, one of their guests brings this up to Able and he immediately proves her point through power and intimidation.

Jackson is very powerful and gives some of the best, intense looks seen on the screen this year. However, I didn’t sense a buildup in the film as it moved along because Jackson is so intense early on. I didn’t think Washington and Wilson were well matched and the response to her being pregnant didn’t unfold well, it seemed too mixed. What really didn’t work about this couple was, the way their fights started and in the next scene they seemed to be OK. What was their mechanism for resolving their disagreements?

Overall: Jackson is worth seeing but the film was mediocre as a thriller.