Eight years after LAppartement seduced audiences with its clever twists and sexy cast, along comes the American remake. Needless to say, something has been lost in translation.
The Hitchcockian flavours of the original dont taste as sharp here, nor are the visual switches between past and present carried off with the same stylistic dash. And, lets face it, even if Josh Hartnett could go toe-to-toe with Vincent Cassel on a good day, Diane Kruger will never be Monica Bellucci.
On the other hand, compared to the average multiplex-aimed romantic thriller, Wicker Park has much going for it, especially in the darker corners of the characters obsessions. For the most part the storys twists and near-misses still hold surprises, and by the time Hartnetts been led into temptation, most viewers unfamiliar with the original will be caught up in its sticky web.
After the promise of Gangster No. 1, director Paul McGuigan slipped up with The Reckoning. Wicker Park provides him with a deserved mainstream break into Hollywood, but he should remember that a lesser remake of a classy original is only half a calling card.