Mystery

A masterful film - cinematic sleight of hand. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as rival magicians, with a supporting cast including a barely recognisable David Bowie.

Of all the scenes in this film, two images stand out: a snowy hillside covered in top hats and an abandoned warehouse filled with glass cabinets that hide an awful secret which illustrate the lengths that the characters are willing to go to in order to perfect their "illusions".

I was haunted by this film for ages and couldn't put my finger on why it had such an impact on me. I still can't, if I'm honest. It defies my attempts to catagorise it - it's not a thriller, or a drama.. not really. It has aspects of each, but, at a push, I'd say its about the human condition - the darker side of obsession. There is no magic here - the enchantment has been stripped of it's gloss and glamour (there's another scene where Christian Bale manages to make a dove disappear in a cage by squashing both it and the cage!) leaving a murky world where there is no black and white, just a murky grey.

Both Bale and Jackman are superb, and make the film more believable - because if you don't believe in the characters then how can you care for the film, or the story?

This is a film for anyone who likes who-dunnits (because, at heart, that's what this is... in a way) and will reward those people brave enough to dare the Prestige!

This is the benchmark for all detective thrillers should be based against. Razor sharp script & plot; honed and polished acting with exemplary performances by Jack Nicholson; Faye Dunaway and John Huston. This film keeps you guessing with its many winding turns - the final twist of the knife is devastating and the last line of dialog just hangs in the air: "Forget it, Jake - it's Chinatown." This film was made during the Sharon Tate / Charles Manson massacre and there is a feeling of creeping darkness and despair perpetuating the narrative. It's about the corruption of innocence where the truth is just another murky grey area and the final truth is often too much to bare.

There is a feeling of detachment as well, as if the audience are just observers in the drama, just like the private eye Jake Gittes so we are actually implicated in the murder and intrigue and, at the end, are just as helpless to make things right as Gittes.

This is a fascinating film, one of the few thrillers that can be called brilliant and is certainly one of the films you need to see before you die!

Watching a Peter Greenway film... is an experience. He confounds and delights me every time I peruse and interrogate one of his marvellous and epic stories. Epic? Not in scale, or in scope, or in undertaking but in their ramifications. None of what is shown or heard can be taken at face value - take the initial simple premise of Mrs Herbert asking an artiste to prepare 12 portraits of her outstanding grounds. When this turns out to be have more serious ramifications the artiste is in far too deep to back out, and as co-conspirators, so are we, the viewer.

The cinematography, as usual, is lush and beautiful and Michael Nyman's music is haunting and minimalist. I always watch a Peter Greenway feeling like I've eaten a wonderful 4 course meal - I feel completely satisfied but always looking forwards to the next instalment!

I suppose that for modern audiences there would be little of interest in the Wicker Man to hold their 30 second attention spans. For them the film is ponderously slow, with archaic folksy music, an almost wooden performance by Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee sporting a questionable haircut...

BUT....

If they actually stop and see what the film is about, think about the ramifications, put themselves in Sgt Howie's shoes and understand what is actually happening in the story then they will get swept up in one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Yes, the film is slow - but that's because it has a STORY!!! This is a story that has so much substance to it and deals in subtlety. Yes, I know that term is a dirty word these days, but indulge me.... The Wicker Man rewards those people that appreciate the subtleties and the more you know about folk myths and legends then the quicker you'll pick up on those subtleties and the more impact the final scenes will have. Another fact - this film actually gets better on the second viewing - knowing what actually happens in the end laces the film with a sense of inevitability as you actually start noticing the details; the signs and portents that I alluded to earlier.

Sgt Howie is a straight laced Christian copper (gawd bless-‘um), almost puritanical in his faith - so Edward Woodward's portrayal of him is spot on. And it took an actor of Woodward's capability to be able to play off Howie's subtleties - especially when it came to his pivotal scenes with Christopher Lee.

The folk music is an integral part of the film and adds to the mood (and I happen to really like folk music!!)

This is a film that deserves to be re-released on the cinema so a whole new generation can see what makes a real horror film. Horror is not about what can be seen (The Blair Witch Project proved that), it's all in the mind. The true horror in the Wicker Man is not in the final scene's, it's actually in the realisation that for the whole film Sgt Howie has been a mere pawn in the most deadly game of all.

This is not a film that gives away it's secrets easily; don't expect closure here. The story has roots deeply embedded in our collective psyche, and like I said, the more you know - or even, the more open your mind is - the more you will fall under it's spell.

Oh - Christopher Lee does have a dodgy haircut - but his performance is electrifying and ranks as one of his best roles!