The Wicker Man (2006)

A sheriff investigating the disappearance of a young girl from a small island discovers there's a larger mystery to solve among the island's secretive, neo-pagan community.

Director:

Neil LaBute

Writers:

Neil LaBute (screenplay), Anthony Shaffer

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Edward Malus
Ellen Burstyn	...	Sister Summerslsle
Kate Beahan	...	Sister Willow Woodward
Frances Conroy	...	Dr. T.H. Moss
Molly Parker	...	Sister Rose / Sister Thorn
Leelee Sobieski	...	Sister Honey
Diane Delano	...	Sister Beech
Michael Wiseman	...	Officer Pete
Erika-Shaye Gair	...	Rowan Woodward (as Erika Shaye Gair)
Christa Campbell	...	Truck Stop Waitress
Emily Holmes	...	Station Wagon Mom
Zemphira Gosling	...	Station Wagon Girl
Matthew Walker	...	Sea Plane Pilot
Mary Black	...	Sister Oak
Christine Willes	...	Sister Violet

Storyline

While recovering from a tragic accident on the road, the patrolman Edward Malus receives a letter from his former fiancée Willow, who left him years ago without any explanation, telling that her daughter Rowan is missing. Edward travels to the private island of Summerisle, where Willow lives in an odd community that plant fruits, and she reveals that Rowan is actually their daughter. Along his investigation with the hostile and unhelpful dwellers, Edward discloses that the locals are pagans, practicing old rituals to improve their harvest, and Rowan is probably alive and being prepared to be sacrificed. When he locates the girl, he finds also the dark truth about the wicker man.

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Plot Keywords:

island | girl | investigation | ritual | letter | 

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Taglines:

Some Sacrifices Must Be Made

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images and violence, language and thematic issues

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [us]

Country:

USA Germany Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

El culto siniestro

Filming Locations:

Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$289,283 (Brazil) (3 November 2006)

Gross:

$1,391,887 (Brazil) (17 November 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Alcon Entertainment, Millennium Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is dedicated to late musician Johnny Ramone, who introduced Nicolas Cage to Robin Hardy's original The Wicker Man.

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Goofs

There are clear car tracks on all the dirt roads around the island but the people in the movie who live there only walk or cycle.

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Quotes

Edward Malus: Have you seen what she's drawn? Under her desk? It's... pretty disturbing.

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Connections

Referenced in Entourage: Give a Little Bit (2009)

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Soundtracks

"The Drone"
Written by Micha Liberman
Published by Leaky Music Publishing(ASCAP)

User Reviews

The Worst Movie I've EVER Seen

This movie is the biggest waste of nine dollars that I've spent in a very, very long time. If you knew how often I went to the movies you'd probably say, that's hard to imagine, but never-the-less, it's true! After seeing the trailer for this movie, I knew that I had to see it! If you're a fan of horror, mystery, and suspense, why wouldn't you? The trailer is nothing less than intriguing and exciting; unfortunately, the movie is none of these.

From the cinematography, to the script, to the acting, this movie is a complete flop. If you're reading this, planning to go to the movie expecting some thrills, mystery, action, horror, or anything other than a waste of an hour and forty-five minutes I'm afraid you are in for disappointment.

"Why is it so bad," you might be asking yourself. Let me tell you. The movie was neither mysterious nor suspenseful. Nothing about the movie made me the least bit "on edge," frightened, or curious. The script was at best laughable. There were numerous times throughout the film where the dialogue was just so ridiculous I began to write it off as comic relief only to find out a few seconds later that it wasn't. The acting was absolutely dreadful. I like Nicholas Cage but this was a miss. Without exception, every performance in this movie was incredibly below average. The cinematography was awful with not one moment of suspense or mystique. Finally, the story is completely transparent. You can see the end of this movie coming a mile away.

I am not usually a very harsh critic. Frankly, when I go to see a comedy I want to laugh and when I go to see a mystery/suspense/horror, I just want to be surprised. This movie was boring, poorly acted, poorly written, and an overwhelming disappointment. Do yourself a favor and go see something else.