A solid political thriller that slowly escalates to tension at the right pace. <i>The Ghost Writer</i> is a well-done proof that Polanski has not lost his auteur signature, as brief visual trademarks that characterized his thrillers of the 60s are present here, from the cinematography to digging the most macabre layers of his characters. Rather than being a film about moral, or a political film about prioritizing international relations rather than $250,000 US dollars, like a Flixster contact called SirPant used to say, it is a film about ghosts: The original title is indeed "The Ghost", which does not only refer to the protagonist but also the ghost of the previous dead ghost writer unraveling deep secrets, the present ghost writer may be located on a ghost island, moving like a ghost among people so his investigation is not uncovered, etc. He concluded: <i>"The film is so full of ghosts!"</i>. Indeed, it is, thanks to Polanski's moody gray atmosphere. 75/100