McGregor is perfect for the role in "Ghost Writer" (photo courtesy Summit
Entertainment/Guy Farrandis)

For a movie loaded with dark colors, ominous phone calls, mysterious deaths and government conspiracies, "The Ghost Writer," Roman Polanski's new film, is sure a lot of fun to watch. Dark and gloomy, literally rain-drenched almost throughout, the tense thriller balances its moody subject matter and color palette with brilliant pacing, a jittery but playful score by Alexandre Desplat, and wonderful performances by just about everyone in the cast.

Polanski, whose well-publicized legal troubles forced him to do some of the editing in prison and could have easily overshadowed a lesser film, is on triumphant display here. He obviously had a great time working on this project, which he also helped adapt from the Robert Harris novel with the author's help, and qualms an audience member has should likewise be gleefully abandoned as soon as the credits start to roll. This is a movie for movies' sake. Save any ethical issues you may have with Mr. Polanski for later.

The film concerns the attempts of an unnamed ghost writer played by Ewan McGregor, he's just called "the ghost" throughout, to finish up the memoirs of controversial former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, played with roguish charm by Pierce Brosnan. The previous ghost, a member of Lang's loyal crew for years, was unfortunately just found dead--apparently by suicide. Days later, McGregor's character is brought in by his sleazy American agent and hesitant British editor to make sense of the giant manuscript left behind, and hopefully make it more marketable at the same time. As McGregor says, Lang "wants a place in history, not on the remainders table." This ghost's initial appeal is his utter lack of political knowledge, and thus his ability to make Lang accessible to everyone, not just news junkies.

McGregor's initial fresh faced, lighthearted charm--why shouldn't he be carefree? He has no wife, no family--is tested early on when he is mugged for a manuscript that might have been mistaken for Lang's, then again and again as the plot gains momentum. He finds much more than he expected once he is whisked away to meet with Lang and his entourage at a Martha's Vineyard beachside compound that manages to be breathtakingly beautiful, luxurious, and reminiscent of a prison cell block at the same time. Once there he is subjected to security drills, a chilly aide played coyly by Kim Cattrall, and a hotel room periodically lit up by a nearby lighthouse. He also starts to suspect that his predecessor had found out some facts about Lang's early political career that could, perhaps, get a guy killed. He grows more and more haggard and paranoid as, almost against his will, he becomes embroiled in the mystery surrounding the charismatic politician and his past.

McGregor is perfect for the role: attractive but not overly so, clever but not a genius, confident in himself but a bit out of his league in his new surroundings. Also great are Pierce Brosnan as the magnetic Lang and Olivia Williams as his jealous, fiercely intelligent, politically savvy wife. The two are meant to conjure thoughts of Tony Blair and Cherie Booth, although they also have the distinct suggestion of the Clintons about them as well.

Brosnan is handsome and dynamic, able to command the attention of a room while lounging on a couch in a tracksuit, but also a bit boorish. Williams is intense and erratic, heard sobbing off-camera in several scenes and prone to taking long walks on the beach, come hell or high water, or night or rain, as is usually the case in this movie. She is also obviously the brains of this particular operation, and it is refreshing to see the portrayal of a strong, sexy, complicated woman in the male-dominated world of politics.

Everyone is also bitingly funny. When McGregor and Williams's characters verbally spar over dinner, he asks, "Didn't you want to be a proper politician?" and she snaps, "Of course, didn't you want to be a proper writer?" The film has plenty of other moments of humor that effectively lighten the mood. There is a shot of a groundskeeper fighting futilely against nature to keep an outdoor patio clean, McGregor wobbling and falling over as he tries to ride a bike over gravel, and Williams's character yelling to an overprotective member of her security detail, "if we meet any terrorists, I'll text."

The movie also seems to have some serious things to say on world politics, torture, the wars in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Halliburton, and the CIA, to name a few. But don't let that throw you off. This movie is all about enjoying the perfection that comes with a cast and crew, and especially a writer/director, all at the top of their games. The rest is done just to show you that they can.