The Ghost Writer 2010

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: Like the Swiss clocks that must have watched over his editing suite, Polanski's flick ticks away relentlessly -- at 128 minutes, the film doesn't make us impatient for a second. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: It's not one of Polanski's masterpieces, but The Ghost Writer doesn't dilute his reputation as a master of suspense. Read more

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: This is a nice, stripped down, spare, modest little thriller. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: This is a real triumph in tone. Read more

Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times: Considering that it's been more than a decade since The Ninth Gate, you'd think Polanski would have had more in store. Read more

Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies: From the second it begins, The Ghost Writer signals directorial authority and precision, subtly codifying the film's existential style and substance. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: Mr. Polanski is a magician, his movie a synthesis of Mr. Harris's sturdy narrative, a Mamet-like appreciation for the shadows that lurk between words, and a drollery that most directors wouldn't even think about attaching to a thriller. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: The Ghost Writer may not go down as one of Polanski's masterpieces, but if it does end up being his swan song, it's the ideal denouement to a life and career of unsettling resonance. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Brosnan, long past his James Bond days, has ripened as an actor; he's outstanding. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Another director would almost certainly have bobbled this devilish mixture of paperback suspense, political chicanery, and jet-black comedy. In Polanski's hands, it's an unholy pleasure: a diversion that stings. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: The mystery is unraveled a bit too conveniently, and the fatalistic Chinatown ending feels more rehearsed than revelatory. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: The Ghost Writer is minor Polanski but it's one of the rare thrillers these days that plays up to you instead of down. Read more

Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News: [Polanski has a] knack for taking pulp and transforming it into tense, paranoid drama. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: The swirl of visual poetry, political intrigue and personal zeal that Polanski creates gets under your skin and brings an icy hand up your back. This is moviemaking. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: A well-made, sleekly retaliatory, pleasurably paranoid tale... Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: Brosnan and Williams are the real highlights, both such dynamos that you feel their absence and yearn for their return during the long stretches when McGregor is mucking about on his own. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A dark pearl of a movie whose great flair and precision make it Polanski's best work in quite a while. Read more

David Denby, New Yorker: The best thing Polanski has done since the seventies, when he brought out the incomparable Chinatown and the very fine Tess. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It's a brilliantly made, paranoid, leftish political thriller. And it's also the first great film of the year. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: McGregor turns in his best work in recent memory, and Polanski's an expert at building the sort of intense atmosphere that leaves his audience in a state of edgy paranoia. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Roman Polanski, you are the mayor of Chutzpahtown. Read more

Sara Vilkomerson, New York Observer: Overall feels uneven, sprawling and strangely incomplete. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Doesn't demand much from the viewer, but its smart dialogue, nimble syncopations, and tricky suspense are - while you're there in the theater, in the dark - thoroughly satisfying. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The Ghost Writer is a reminder that, regardless of his real-life problems, Roman Polanski can still craft compelling thrillers. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Polanski at 76 provides a reminder of directors of the past who were raised on craft, not gimmicks, and depended on a deliberate rhythm of editing rather than mindless quick cutting. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A tight, taut, witty and highly theatrical entertainment, shot in shades of wintry gray, that will keep you guessing right through its final fadeout. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Polanski infuses the action with the quality of a waking nightmare. He has the capacity to take a simple shot of a ship coming into harbor and give it a feeling of foreboding. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate: The intrigues, suspense, and reversals that follow this setup are best left to unfold at their own stately clip. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: So elegant, so deliciously scary, so masterfully controlled that you feel tingles of bliss even as your skin crawls. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: As an exercise in craft, it's surprisingly successful, thanks to the strong cast and the vivid depiction of a modern leader's security apparatus. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: The result is a political thriller refreshingly long on grown-up dialogue yet lamentably shy on, well, thrills. This chatty thing does go on. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Polanski is in total command of his medium, something that hasn't been a sure thing since the 1970s, The Pianist notwithstanding. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: The thread of black humour that runs throughout the film compensates for its occasional moments of madness. It's a film just silly enough to be taken deadly seriously. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: This is the 76-year-old Polanski's first contemporary thriller in two decades and his first film in four years. It's an intelligent and deftly honed return to the genre, blending a contemporary plot and classic structure. Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: Polanski simply transfers Harris' undistinguished prose direct to the screen and, though the pace picks up marginally in the second half, there's little wow factor in the revelations as they appear. Read more

Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice: What actually happens is less important than the barest glimmers of that old Polanski magic. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: From the chic austerity of the Langs' undisclosed location to the gradually revealed nexus between academia, politics and corporate influence, The Ghost Writer offers an unusually astute glimpse of power at its most alluring and corrosive. Read more