It seems only fitting that Roman Polanski, a ghost in his own right, would be at the helm of “The Ghost Writer.” Yes, that was weak, just like “The Ghost Writer” — now that was ingenious. In all seriousness, though, like kids, films require a lot of attention and Roman Polanski failed to put his time in, resulting in a lackluster film at best.

When a successful British ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) gets an opportunity to ghost a biography on Britain’s former Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), he first considers it the job of a lifetime — after all, it pays like one. Only hours after he is hired, he is mugged for the contents in his bag, leaving him puzzled and questioning what he signed on for. With the help of his ultra persuasive agent, he decides to continue on doing what he was hired to do.

He soon learns that his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances. Finding the news rather troubling, he begins digging up whatever he can find on Adam Lang’s past. Lang’s wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) becomes an obstacle to his ventures as she becomes increasingly nosy and affectionate. As he gets closer to the truth, he finds himself questioning his decision to get involved in this project in the first place.

The problem with “The Ghost Writer” is that it seems like it was hurried. The story, while not a masterpiece, still had the ability to make itself a presence on screen. It’s sloppiness is reminiscent of a rookie filmmaker and Polanski is certainly far from a rookie. The film was set for an R rating, but in an effort to make it more appealing to younger audiences, they cut it down to PG-13. This leads to awful moments on screen where a slightly naughty word in the actor’s dialogue is dubbed over in post.

It is one of those films that certain people will like. It’s stylization is one of the few crowning achievements in the whole mess of a movie. As with a lot of movies, it all comes down to the end for me and this one was particularly weak.