The Wicker Man (1 September 2006)
directed by Neil LaBute
starring Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski, Diane Delano, Michael Wiseman, James Franco, Jason Ritter, Erika-Shaye Gair
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MPAA rating: Studio: Millennium Films, Nu-Image Films, Emmett/Furla Films, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH, Alcon Entertainment, Saturn Films Script: Neil LaBute, Anthony Schaffer Music: Angelo Badalamenti Running time: 102 minutes Tags: Drama; Horror; human sacrifice; island; Mystery; occult; Remake; Thriller Tactical strength: [4/10]
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for disturbing images and violence, language and thematic issues
I have to say that I don't understand the current movement to remake classic movies. Not one of the remakes I have seen comes even close to matching the original production for overall effect. I haven't seen the original Wicker Man yet, but I would bet that just about any other version of The Wicker Man surpasses this version rewritten and directed by Neil LaBute.
Nicolas Cage plays Edward Malus, a motorcycle cop on paid leave after witnessing a tragic accident that takes the lives of a mother and her young daughter. Edward receives a letter from an old girlfriend, Willow (Kate Beahan), who pleads with him to help her find her missing daughter Rowan (Erika-Shaye Gair). Willow lives on a remote island named Summersisle off the coast of Washington state, and Edward bribes a seaplane pilot to take him there. On the island, Edward finds the occupants openly hostile to his investigation. The island has a matriarchal agrarian society led by Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn) where men remain a silent working class while the women lead and receive an education. Edward finds clues that the society believes in ritual human sacrifice, and he concludes that Sister Summersisle plans to sacrifice Rowan to appease Nature and make up for the worst harvest on record the previous summer.
The script for The Wicker Man doesn't give the actors much room to operate. Edward conducts his investigation like a brute, ignoring any normal social politeness or even trying to understand or work within local customs. The script has Edward bullying the sisters on the island, such as bursting into a classroom and erasing a teacher's lesson from the board to put up Rowan's name. This bullheadedness culminates with knock-out punches to several feminine jaws. The script also never successfully ties in Edward's experiences with the opening car accident to the events on Summersisle. In addition, Sister Summersisle should appear a wise leader of a pagan goddess cult, but her lines only convince us that LaBute doesn't know how to portray the wisdom of a mystical leader other than to have her spew cryptic nonsense.
Nicolas Cage plays the same character in every role. Like Dustin Hoffman, you can expect Cage to provide at least one -- if not several -- ranting outbursts during the course of every film. Most readily, I remember Cage playing against Sean Connery in The Rock where cage rants, "I just want to find some rockets." Sometimes this ranting works, but many times you just think, "There goes the prescribed Cage rant." In The Wicker Man, Cage has several characteristic rants, but throughout the film, I kept thinking that Cage's trademark character just doesn't fit Edward Malus. At every turn, Cage's acting personality seems in direct conflict with what you would expect from a police investigator in 2006. Modern police forces receive too much sensitivity training to ever make a Dirty Harry approach to law enforcement plausible in a contemporary film.
Perhaps another male lead could have given a more plausible performance, but then you would also have to deal with the pathetic script that makes even talented women like Ellen Burstyn sound like a brainwashed robot. Then again, perhaps we should leave well enough alone, just enjoy classic cult films on their own merits, and use big-budget Hollywood money make something altogether new.
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