BLU-Ray RE-Vu: The Ghost Writer

In life, some things take a frustratingly long time to develop. Examples are many: anything cooked in a crock pot...me, between the ages of 10 and 15 and The Ghost Writer. At its core, this movie provides a pretty good story, but ultimately it's a flick that I'm glad I rented.

A writer is brought in to finish up the memoirs of a former Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan). The work is all but done and would be on the way to press had the former ghost writer not washed ashore with a few other dead fishies. No foul play is expected, but the new ghost writer (Ewen McGregor) quickly learns that perhaps suspicion should reign. The Prime Minister is quickly imbrawled in a war crimes scandal that could quickly see him in an orange jumper. Things get messy from there with our ghost writer taking more of a living role and yadayadayada the mystery unfolds.

Yeah, I said the 'mystery unfolds' and I suppose it does. It just unfolds so slowly, it made me wish this was a foreign flick so I could play it in 2x speed and get to the goods a lot faster. (a trick I mastered long ago with foreign movies, btw) No, I didn't like the ending. I won't give it away, and yes, I realize endings are completely a matter of viewer preference. This one just left me with a frustrated empty and unfulfilled feeling, a familiar theme for me throughout the flick.

Acting was fine. McGregor and Brosnan were good, not as masterful as in other roles, but good. Olivia Williams, who plays the Prime Minister's wife, was her typical excellent self. I fell in love with her in Sixth Sense and in everything since from Peter Pan to Flashbacks of a Fool. She didn't disappoint.

The movie on the other hand did. I'll give it 2.5 stars--slightly on the down side of a neutral rating. That rating is the end result of one word: frustration! This storyline had great potential, but just didn't move fast enough. I'm certainly not the sharpest tack on the corkboard, but I do need a plot to move above a glacial pace for me to enjoy it. This particular ice mob stalled around Michigan before eventually making it to Southern Indiana.

Well, enjoy the weekend and it's a no go on the yard this weekend! Those 90+ degree days have taken its toll on a slowly growing landscape. Have a great one and enjoy the heat...after all, it will be 30 before you know it!

True...out!