The Ghost Writer (2010) - Quotes

Roy Quigley: [''To The Ghost out in street trying to flag down taxi''] There's something not quite right about this project.

The Ghost: [''Sees Roy at metal detectors at Rhinehart Inc. entrance''; ''Getting [[w:Metal detector|wanded; [w:Frisking|frisked; [w:Random House|Random House] Roy. ] and ] Who're you expecting to bomb you, ]?

Roy Quigley: We're publishing Lang's memoirs. That's enough to make us a target, apparently.

The Ghost: [''Gets his effects back''; ''In elevator''] Thank you. How many have you seen?

Roy Quigley: Five. You're the last. I must be honest. I don't think you're the right man for this assignment.

The Ghost: Then it's a good job it's not your decision, Roy.

Roy Quigley: John Maddox, chief executive of Rhinehart, New York.

The Ghost: [''Shakes hand''] Sir.

Roy Quigley: Sidney Kroll, Mr. Lang's Washington attorney.

The Ghost: [''Shakes hand''] Mr. Kroll.

Roy Quigley: And Nick Ricardelli I believe you know.

The Ghost: [''Rick puts hand on The Ghost's back and guides him to couch''] All right, Rick.

John Maddox: All right, I gather from Rick you're aware of the situation? Perhaps you can enlighten us and tell us what exactly you're gonna bring to this project.

The Ghost: Nothing. No, I'm not gonna pretend to be someone I'm not. You have my CV.

Roy Quigley: His last effort was the autobiography of a magician, I Came, I Sawed, I Conquered.

Rick Ricardelli: Yeah, and it went straight to number one, so...

The Ghost: After you turned it down, Roy. Look, I don't read political memoirs. Who does? And I gather you've spent $10 million on this book. How much of that are you gonna see back? Two? Three? It's bad news for your shareholders. And it's worse news for your client, Mr. Kroll. Adam Lang, he wants a place in history, not in the remainder tables.

Roy Quigley: Oh, please!

The Ghost: It's because I know nothing about politics that I'll ask the questions that get right to the heart of who Adam Lang is. And that is what sells autobiographies. Heart.

Rick Ricardelli: Wow! That's nicely done.

Roy Quigley: What utter balls!

John Maddox: You think so?

Roy Quigley: John, of course. Adam Lang's a world historical figure. His autobiography is gonna be a world-publishing event.

John Maddox: Yeah, well, I got warehouses filled with world-publishing events waiting to be pulped.

Roy Quigley: Sid?

Sidney Kroll: Adam is obviously still very upset by what happened to Mike McAra. He was irreplaceable. Irreplaceable, and yet he has to be replaced. Adam can certainly appreciate the benefits of trying someone different. In the end, it's about chemistry. Do you work out, maybe?

The Ghost: Not really.

Sidney Kroll: That's a pity. Adam likes to work out.

Roy Quigley: [[w:The Guardian|the Guardian] Actually, I know a good writer on ] who uses a gym.

Rick Ricardelli: Okay, maybe we could just run over the publishing schedule, yeah?

John Maddox: We need to wrap this up in a month.

The Ghost: A month?

John Maddox: Yes.

The Ghost: You want the book in a month?

Sidney Kroll: We already have a first draft.

John Maddox: Yeah, well, it needs a lot of work. That's why I like your résumé here. You're fast, and you deliver.

Rick Ricardelli: You name it, he ghosts it.

John Maddox: [''Mimics English accent''; ''Rick chuckles''] And you're a Brit. The ghost should be a Brit. To get the jolly old tone right, right?

Sidney Kroll: Do you have any family commitments?

The Ghost: No, I have no family. Why?

Sidney Kroll: Adam is locked into a US lecture tour, also a fundraising program for the Adam Lang Foundation.

Rick Ricardelli: It's a month in the States. That's okay.

The Ghost: Couldn't I bring the manuscript back here to work on?

Sidney Kroll: I'm afraid not. It's in a secure environment in Marty Rhinehart's own house. Only a few people are allowed to handle it.

Roy Quigley: Sounds more like a bomb than a book. I will need to see it myself at some point. I am supposed to be editing it. Yeah, in theory.

John Maddox: Actually, we need to talk about that. How soon can you get over there?

The Ghost: As soon as you want.

Rick Ricardelli: He'll fly tonight.

The Ghost: Rick.

Rick Ricardelli: It's okay.

John Maddox: [''After silence with Sidney giving an informal eye flash''] Okay, you're in.

The Ghost: [''Gets up''] Oh!

John Maddox: [''Shakes The Ghost's hand and pats him on shoulder''] Congratulations.

The Ghost: Thank you. Thanks.

John Maddox: [''Off camera''] Rick.

The Ghost: [''To Sidney''] Thank you.

Sidney Kroll: [''Holds up bag''] Actually, I have something here you might want to look at.

The Ghost: Is that... Is that...

Sidney Kroll: No, no, no, this isn't Adam's book. No, it's another client of mine. Yeah, perhaps you can let me know what you think.

The Ghost: Sure.

Sidney Kroll: [''To dazed Roy''; ''Raises voice''; ''Roy comes to''] Okay, if you're gonna get that evening flight, we'd better talk contracts with Rick here. Wanna show our friend to the door? Would you?! Roy?!

Rick Ricardelli: Call you in an hour, buddy.

John Maddox: [''To The Ghost at door''; ''Pats chest saying in English accent''] Hey! Remember... Heart.

The Ghost: [''At a restaurant''] But you realize I know nothing about politics?

Rick Ricardelli: You voted for him, didn't you?

The Ghost: Adam Lang? Of course I did.

Rick Ricardelli: Everyone voted for him. He wasn't a politician, he was a craze.

The Ghost: Well, there you go.

Rick Ricardelli: Look, it's a new ghostwriter he needs, not another goddamn politico. He was paid $10 million for these memoirs, but rumor has it the manuscript's a crock of shit. Rhinehart's lending him his house at the ocean so they can fix it, and the pressure must have gotten to McAra. Pathologist said his blood was, like, three parts booze.

The Ghost: You mean he drowned by accident?

Rick Ricardelli: Accident, suicide, who cares? It was the book that killed him.

The Ghost: [''Rick dryly chuckles''] Well, that's encouraging. Who is this McAra? Should I have heard of him?

Rick Ricardelli: Yeah. He was some kind of aide to Lang when he was Prime Minister, so don't admit that you haven't. He was with him for years.

The Ghost: I don't know, Rick.

Rick Ricardelli: This is a great opportunity for you. Plus the money is good. Kids won't starve.

The Ghost: I don't have any kids.

Rick Ricardelli: I do.

Police officer: [''Speaking to mobile link after The Ghost has been deliberately [[w:vehicle-ramming attack|vehicle rammed] This one looks nasty. Yeah, it's just happened just now. Yeah, if you could.

Robert Rycart: He can't drown two ghost writers, for god sake. You're not kittens!

Robert Rycart: [''To The Ghost''; [w:2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraq; [w:Middle Eastern studies|Middle East policy; [w:Strategic Defense Initiative|Star Wars defense; [w:Nuclear weapons of the United States|buying American nuclear missiles; [w:Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden|support of terrorist rendition; [w:Corporatocracy#Corporate_influence_on_politics_in_the_United_States|The sacking of any minister Washington didn't like, including yours truly] Okay, a quiz for you. Name one decision Lang made in 10 years as Prime Minister which wasn't in the interests of the USA. Well, come on, it's not a trick question. ], ], ], ], ]. ]. McAra was right. This explains everything.

Rick Ricardelli: Get some sleep on the plane. You're sounding weird. "A tethered goat." I'll call you next week.

Rick Ricardelli: You name it, he ghosts it.

The Ghost: [''On phone to agent''] Some peace protesters are trying to kill me!

The Ghost: Well all the words are there, they're just in the wrong order.

The Ghost: [''Reading the first words of Adam Lang's manuscript''] Langs are Scottish folk originally and proud of it. Our name is a derivation of long', the Old English word for tall, and it is from North of the border that my forefathers hail." Fu...ck.

The Ghost: Forty thousand years of human language, and there's no word to describe our relationship. It was doomed.

The Ghost: [''Consoling Ruth''] It's all right. Everything'll be all right.

The Ghost: [''Goes to bathroom and whispers in mirror''] Your hair's all wet, you're drenched. Let me get you a towel. Bad idea.

The Ghost: Use it? I think we should open the whole book like this. "I went into politics out of love, not love for a party or an ideology, but out of love for a woman.

The Ghost: [''At Rhinehart publishing house security check''; [w:Random House|Random House] Who are you expecting to bomb you, ]?

Paul Emmett: [''About his wall of framed photos''] Oh yes, the wall of ego. We all have one, our equivalent of the dentist's fish tank.

Paul Emmett: I doubt it very much. The gate will open automatically. Be sure to make a right at the bottom of the drive. If you turn left, the road will take you deeper into the woods and you may never be seen again.

Paul Emmett: A less equable man than I might start to find your questions impertinent.

Paul Emmett: [''Reacting to an old picture of Lang, taken in his college days with a marijuana joint''] Let's hope he didn't inhale.

John Maddox: [''To The Ghost''; ''Pats chest saying in English accent''] Hey! Remember... Heart.

John Maddox: [''Mimics English accent''] And you're a Brit. The ghost should be a Brit. To get the jolly old tone right, right?

Ruth Lang: [[w:Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|the wife of Napoleon; [w:Saint Helena|on St. Helena] I feel like ] ].

Ruth Lang: [''To bodyguard''] If we meet any terrorists, I'll text you.

Ruth Lang: Perhaps I'll write my own memoirs. Ex-Prime Minister's Wife Tells All.

Ruth Lang: [''To The Ghost getting out of bed''] The modesty of the morning after?

Ruth Lang: [''Burying face in between The Ghost's face and shoulder''] I'm scared. I've never been scared in my life before, but I am now.

Ruth Lang: [''Starts to sob''] He was having dinner with the Vice President. That bloody Bly woman wouldn't even give him the phone. Oh, God. Oh, dear God. What's he got himself mixed up in?

Adam Lang: [''To Rycart on television''] You cheeky fuck!

Adam Lang: [''On his head-of-state jet to The Ghost''] Spare me the bleeding-heart bullshit! Do you know what I'd do if I was in power again? I'd have two queues at airports: one for flights where we'd done no background checks, infringed on no one's civil bloody liberties, used no intelligence gained by torture. And on the other flight we'd do everything we possibly could to make it perfectly safe. And then we'd see which plane the Rycarts of this world would put their bloody kids on! And you can put that in the book!

Adam Lang: [''Dictating to The Ghost''; [w:University of Cambridge|a couple of years out of Cambridge] Turned me on, indeed. Let's see, I was 23, something like that, ]. And I remember it was a Sunday afternoon, it was raining. I was still in bed. And someone starts knocking at the door. And, you know, I'd been out the night before and had a few drinks and what have you. So, I get the pillow and I put it over my head, and it starts up again. Knock, knock, knock, knock! And I get up, I'm swearing, I go to the door and there's this girl. She's soaking wet, but she just launches into this speech about the local elections. And that's it. I'm in love.