I often don’t know what to expect when I see movies that star some Hollywood’s stable of young hotshot actors. It’s often even more of a crap shoot when the film opts to be something deeper than a slasher flick or teen comedy. I’ve enjoyed Josh Hartnett’s work in the past, and while Matthew Lillard is an acquired taste, I get a kick out of him as well. After all, anyone who can turn in such a note perfect humanized version of Shaggy can’t be all bad. “Wicker Park” is just such a movie. As a remake of the French film “L’ Appartment” the trailers promised it would be a sexy thriller, but that remained to be seen. Hartnett stars as a soon to be married man, who find himself drawn mysteriously to a woman (Diane Kruger) he see on the streets. And when I say ‘drawn’, I mean he pretty much begin to stalk her. Shortly after, a relationship begins to develop between the two, but it is cut short when she disappears.

He becomes determined to find her, but during his search he becomes involved with yet another woman (Rose Byrne). Lillard chimes in as Matthew’s best friend, whose own life seems to revolve around his own relationship.

What surprised me about “Wicker Park” was that what could have been a mess of non-linear storytelling, turned out to be a fairly intense and stylishly filmed movie. Most of the story was told out of order, but it was edited well enough as to be easy to follow. There was never question as to what was going on, or when, until the plot twists started surfacing. This is one of those movies where very little is as it seems, and though you can see a few of them coming, the majority of surprises were… well… surprising.

I’d have to say that as far as the acting goes, there were no Academy Award performances to be found here, but all of the actors were able to convincingly fill their roles. The film itself had a much stronger emotional payoff than I expected, which made watching it all the more of a fulfilling experience.

The DVD offers up a fair amount of extra features, including a commentary by director Paul McGuigan and Hartnett. I wish I could say it was a compelling commentary, but while there are a few interesting bits of information that are shared, but the overall tone is very bland. You’ll also find several deleted scenes, most of which were obviously cut for time. The one problem I did notice was that since the story itself was so intricate, there were items brought up that made little sense. A few of these scenes actually answered a few questions. There is also a music video by The Postal Service for the song “Against All Odds”, a photo gallery and a gag reel.

For the most part, there’s a chance “Wicker Park” might not appeal to all. It has a smart script that requires you to pay attention in order to catch all the complexities of the plot. But if you like a good mystery, enhanced by some creative cinematography, this might be the movie for you.

Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Rose Byrne, Matthew Lillard, Diane Kruger
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Audio Commentary by Director Paul McGuigan and Josh Hartnett, Music Video “Against All Odds”, Photo Gallery, Soundtrack Spot, Original Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 12/28/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Sexuality and Language)
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We'll give Wicker Park a B-.