The Wicker Man

A dull, repetitive and illogical thriller.

Film Review by Paul Greenwood | 13 Oct 2006
Film title: The Wicker Man
Director: Neil LaBute
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan
Release date: Out Now
Certificate: 12A

It's difficult to gauge how much appeal this film will hold for those unfamiliar with the original. What's not in doubt is that if you're a fan of Robin Hardy's 1973 classic, you should do yourself a favour and skip it entirely. The action has been relocated from the Western Isles to the Pacific Northwest, where Cage plays a cop called to the remote Summersisle by an ex-girlfriend to look into the disappearance of her daughter. There he finds a nutty matriarchal society run by Sister Summersisle (Burstyn) who place all manner of obstacles in the way of his search for the girl. Tone is the problem here - completely demythologised and desexualised, all we're left with is a dull, repetitive and illogical thriller where Cage's character cracks wise and performs karate kicks. There's no natural flow to his investigation and no pervading sense of dread or increase of tension. Instead LaBute substitutes endless dream sequences and superfluous shock tactics, even managing to botch the reveal of old Basketface in his rush to get the bonfire lit, before wrapping things up with a truly farcical coda. [Paul Greenwood]

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