Nicholas Cage: "The Wicker Man" Reviewed

Nicholas Cage does an excellent performance in The Wicker Man.

Many critics gave this movie a low-rating (1 or 2 stars), but it deserves a much higher rating than that.

In my opinion, it gets at least 4 stars, just for Nick's convincing performance. Plus, it is a story that stays in your mind because it is disturbing and eerie.

The Setting

"The Wicker Man" takes place in modern-day Southern California. Nicholas Cage portrays a California Highway Patrolman (CHP), Edward Malus.

The Story

While on the job, riding his motorcycle on a highway, Malus sees a doll get tossed out the window of the car ahead of him -- it is the only car on the road.

Officer Malus gets off his motocycle and walks to where the doll was tossed; he picks it up to return it to the little girl.

Malus motions the driver to pull over, so she does. When he approaches the driver, the mother keeps apologizing to him for having to pick up the doll. Then she takes the doll from him, gives it back to her daughter, and thanks the officer.

Weird Girl

The little girl seems pretty weird, maybe possessed -- she throws the doll out the window again. But this time, as Malus goes out to pick up the doll again, a semi-truck plows into their car and the car bursts into flames on impact.

All Malus' attempts to save the mother and daughter fail and they are both burned to death inside the car.

These thoughts keep replaying in Officer Malus' mind, and it is all he can think about. He feels responsible for the woman and child's death.

Meanwhile, Malus Receives a Letter

While all this is going on, Malus gets a letter from an ex-girlfriend who lives off the coast of Washington at a place called "Summers Isle." She tells him something she never told him before; that she had his child, a girl, and now this little girl is missing. Malus is shocked about his ex-girlfriend coming back, and about the daughter he never knew about -- his daughter; and now she is missing? Malus feels he must help find the child and rekindle their relationship.

Despite co-workers telling him not to help her-- and that she's lying -- Malus is compelled to go to Summers Isle to help his ex-girlfriend (and mother of his daughter) find his missing child.

Summers Isle

Summers Isle is a Celtic-seeming community replete with pagan rituals. There's a twist: the women are the important gender, while the men are treated as lower class beings, such as laborers. Men are also used here for breeding purposes only-- and only when needed.

Finds Many Clues

Malus goes after every clue he can to find his daughter, but they all lead him nowhere. He is desperate to find his child and save her, but is only led to utter confusion.

Watch The Movie & Post A Comment

Without giving the plot away, I urge you to watch "The Wicker Man" (Click to Tweet); and when you finish watching it, post a comment below and tell us what part you liked best.

The following three videos are excerpts or trailers for the movie, "The Wicker Man".

I have the DVD for this movie. It has an alternate ending that you may like better than the first ending.

In this scene, Officer Malus (Nick Cage), is tortured with bees funneled straight to his head.

The teacher asks the children (all girls) "What does man represent in his purest form?"

The twins' answer might surprise you!

Officer Malus arrives at Summers Isle and announces his reason for being there: police business.

Officer Malus questions the teacher, and then asks her to give up her bike.

Officer Malus asks Willow, his ex-girlfriend a question and expects a good answer!