The Wicker Man

2013 "Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!"
7.5| 1h28m| R| en
Details

Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. Stranger still, however, are the rituals that take place there.

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Reviews

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
one-nine-eighty A British cult classic film which uses intelligence, tension and thrills, over a big budget, blood and gore to deliver a haunting vision which leaves something with you.Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a police man who is sent to a Scottish island village (The Summerisle) to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan Morrison. Things begin to get strange when the small community deny any knowledge of her; furthermore their own behaviour bemuses Sgt Howie too - some are openly promiscuous, some sing strange songs of life and creation. Although he already suspects it, meeting Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) confirms that the inhabitants of the island follow Pagan traditions. Howie must try to uphold the law of a Christian country, deep within Pagan territory, which means working against what the inhabitants of the island see as normal, and he, the law, and Christian religion - see as wrong and immoral. A massive twist at the end of the film promises a memorable and haunting conclusion to the film. The picture shows what can be accomplished with a small budget. The stars of the film are undoubtedly Woodward and Lee who carry this film, probably more so Woodward, as Lee doesn't appear for long periods of time. This is Edward Woodward before his famed role as TV's "Equalizer". Christopher Lee appears in this after his stint in a lot of Hammer films, proving that he can do something other than out and out horror roles. The supporting cast didn't really deliver brilliant performances, but in the context of a British 1970's film, they didn't look out of place either. As an example, it seems obvious to me that Britt Ekland isn't there for her acting or singing ability - but other assets, which she finely displays! The film looks lovely and bright; it uses a lot of natural colours of nature which helps the theme of the film somewhat. The music in it is beautiful and haunting at the same time - it's just a pity that the dubbing is obvious for the most part. This is not the only thing which is a little out of place, some of the sequences including flashbacks and random dancing/cavorting aren't done that well, some choppy and some with an overuse of cross-fade, but not enough to make you lose track of what's going on. The pace of the film isn't always easy, and certain parts during the beginning and middle can be a little dull, but as a whole it all works - I just keep telling myself, this film is nearly 50 years old. I just put these down to the film being from the 70's and using techniques of the time - and this film does feel pretty much like a film of its time. One thing that isn't necessary just of the time; and something that's interesting and relevant to see almost 50 years after the film was released is the religious messages/stance. A lot of the religious conflict in this seems to be apparent in the world today still: two (or more) sides or beliefs banging heads against each other with neither willing to back down, ultimately with somebody suffering. There isn't a right or wrong, it just depends on which side you sit to justify the actions - and in this instance much like real examples - which side has the biggest number of people. This film does that and through following a more typical western point of view of Christianity into a Pagan world it makes the viewer that little bit more alienated, and that little bit more shocked by the end. This is a great film, not the best horror film you'll see, but absolutely one of the best cult films you'll see. It's actually difficult to put this into a genre, many people would argue is horror but it's not, nor is it a thriller, action or detective film. It's a bit of a lot but nothing in specific - but one thing that is absolutely apparent by the end of it, it's clever, intelligent and it's make you think. While the ending has been spoiled over and over again, go into this film with an open mind and you won't be disappointed. 8 out of 10.
andyhibbert-80785 A compelling mystery thriller. Great location shoot with a great cast - stoic Woodward, dramatic Lee and gorgeous Ekland all give fabulous performances. OK some of the 70's 'styles' look a little daft these days but it's one I'll always have another watch of. Please don't judge it by the totally awful remake with Nicholas Cage.
Eric Stevenson This is probably one of the best horror movies I've seen, although I admit it doesn't really try that hard to be scary. It's a shame that my introduction to this film was the cheesy Nicolas Cage version. This is better in every way, mostly because well, the acting is infinitely better. It was weird watching this knowing how it would end. That still didn't take away any enjoyment from the film. What's great about this film is how philosophical it is.We get a lot of great points raised about religion and other things like sexuality. It was hard to recognize such a young Christopher Lee. The pacing in this film was great, especially with how it didn't feel too long or short. The plot is that a religious police officer is going to this isolated island community to search for a missing girl. I don't know why the Nicolas Cage version had so much more women. ***1/2
matic-paska A classic mystery film, which confronts two very different (religious) cults. Weirdness kicks in at times so it may be too much to handle for viewers who are not used to that kind of films. It really does leave you uncertain until the very end, and that is the beauty of it. The actors are also outstanding, giving you reasons to believe this is real. Landscape does its work, so the visuals of the film are undeniably stunning. Definitely not a horror film though, so do not expect jump scares. Personally, i think songs used to build up the scenes are serving their purpose, they are unexpectedly well timed. You definitely have to understand the story to know what is going on, which is not that simple, but it is worth it! Watch until the end!