Neil LaBute's 2006 remake of "The Wicker Man" starring Nicolas Cage deserves reconsideration as a superior work to Robin Hardy's 1973 original, despite its box office failure and critical panning upon release.
The film earned LaBute a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Screenplay, a marker the writer argues points toward quality given the Razzies' historical track record of misjudgment. Critics dismissed the movie as silly and histrionic, targeting Cage's over-the-top performance and absurd moments like a bear suit infiltration scene. LaBute and Cage, however, deliberately engineered this collision of genuine horror and black comedy, the same tonal mix that characterized LaBute's acclaimed debut "In the Company of Men."
LaBute reinvents the 1973 film rather than recreate it, making the island society female-dominated. This alteration deepens his ongoing exploration of power dynamics in heterosexual relationships. Cage's cop character arrives compromised and troubled, not righteous like Edward Woodward's original cop, making the narrative more nuanced as the women exploit existing weaknesses beneath his masculine facade.
The 2006 version demonstrates superior filmmaking craft. Cinematographer Paul Sarossy earned recognition from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers for exquisite lighting and composition. While LaBute's debut featured minimal camera movement and grainy stock, he developed into a skilled stylist with each subsequent project. "Your Friends & Neighbors," his follow-up, carried a $5 million budget and reflected his growing technical sophistication.