My thoughts and ramblings (some spoilers)

I’ve read a few posts here that seemed to have missed something fundamental about the movie. My frustration prompted me to write my first IMDB post. A few points discussed elsewhere, concerning plot holes, that the CIA knew the code in the manuscript, and complaints around the stupidity of the Ghost. And some other thoughts in no particular order…

On plot holes and what the CIA might have done differently. Apart from the fact that we’d have no movie, consider that the CIA is still staffed (as far as I’m aware) by humans, and humans do silly things. Having technology doesn’t make this any less so (take a look at any office).

No one other than Mike knew about the code. Even if one knew the truth (that Ruth was the plant), you wouldn't necessarily stumble upon his code in the manuscript. The CIA knew it was in the manuscript, but not where or how.

If Ruth knew, then she would have just destroyed or altered the manuscript herself. They wanted to find out what Mike knew, as they could not be sure he’d rumbled the whole situation accurately. His killing was less of a risk: the goings on were more low-key then, Lang may have been in the States doing an after dinner tour for all we know (Blair did this and was barely heard of in the UK media at the time). Plus it was implied he was an alcoholic, and “Alcoholic falls from ferry in storm” is hardly a headline. Admittedly, no need for his body to show up – he could have been lost at sea without affecting the outcome.

Ewan’s character is supposed to be stupid! Reasoning: it’s implied he’s a trashy author (repeatedly), I think their hope was that he’d turn the biography into something for the masses, to be talked about on daytime television and serialised in a Sunday newspaper; dismissed as a low-brow book about an ex prime minister. ‘No conspiracy here, folks.’

Killing is risky, even for the CIA (otherwise there would be no scandals in the world). They would rather this had all have blown over than kill everyone connected and draw attention from conspiracy theorists.

Yes, to organise the final hit as they did at the end is perhaps the most farfetched part of the movie, but I think that this reflects how CIA found themselves in a hole, panicked and arranged a crude and hasty hit. The situation changed, and the risk assessment was altered.

Note: search Gareth Williams, an MI6 spy found dead in a padlocked sports bag in his bath – it was found “more probable” that no one else was involved in his death!

I really enjoyed the movie, very entertaining. With hindsight, the real story was quite simple, but it was well concealed as I was forever looking for something more. All the way through, I knew the wife was dodgy, was wondering who could and couldn’t be trusted, who was in-the-know, who was ignorant, and whose strings were being pulled. The director did a great job of perpetuating the myth of something else, something other (right till near the end, for me). Some dead ends for example, the manuscript mugging scene near the beginning, the suggestion that the publisher could have somehow instigated the war crime accusation, and even that Dep seemed to have a knowing eye. Was Rycart friend or foe? Was Lang? Ricardelli? The fact that Emmett was patently mysterious and evasive could have been another false avenue. I couldn’t see the forest for the trees at times.

Even on the plane, I feel Ewan’s line of, “it’s on the internet” was deliberately naïve. I’m thinking, is this all going to be theory and post rationalisation, left hanging at the end? After all, search [prominent figure + CIA] in Google and I’m sure it will return a few speculative tales. ‘Cite your references, verify their credibility…’

The bedroom scene. Yes, the wife played him completely (it was obvious that she was digging to see what he knew, keeping an eye on him from the inside), but it was done magnificently. He was the dumb guy, single and seeing a blatant opportunity for no-strings sex (the mirror moment, “bad idea”). But, he goes into the bed anyway. There was a wonderful pause with them both lying there, and I thought, “Who will go in for the kill?” Of course, the wife did, because she was calling the shots.

Olivia was first rate as the frustrated housewife, Ewan played the Ghost perfectly, Pierce was brash, and Cattrell was almost intentionally subdued to play the red-herring (loyal aide).

Anyway, I’ll end with what may seem like an odd comment, but the way the story unfolded somehow kept putting me in mind of another favourite, the Big Lebowski.