PAUL McGuigan's American remake of Gilles Mimouni's acclaimed 1996 French thriller L'Appartement is a shadow of its beguiling former self.

The ambiguities, subtleties and enigmas of the original film have been replaced by a narrative that spoon-feeds every twists and turn.

In doing so, Wicker Park lessens the raw, emotional power of the performances by the attractive ensemble cast.

After a two-year stint in New York, advertising hot-shot Matthew (Josh Hartnett) returns to his native Chicago with his beautiful fiancee Rebecca (Jessica Pare), who happens to be his boss' younger sister.

Promotion seems inevitable and Matthew is preparing for an important business trip to China to conclude a lucrative deal.

His life begins to unravel when he overhears a conversation in a bar and immediately recognises the voice as his old flame Lisa (Diane Kruger), the love of his life who broke his heart two years ago.

Lisa disappears and Matt begins to secretly track her down in the hope of learning why she broke off their relationship without a word of explanation.

Aided by his good pal Luke (Matthew Lillard), who runs a shoe store, Matthew tracks down Lisa to an apartment.

He breaks in, only to discover that the resident is another girl (Rose Byrne), who takes quite a shine to the embarrassed intruder.

Matthew convinces himself that the ghosts of the past have clouded his judgement and that he will never track down his Lisa. Little does he know the truth...

Wicker Park is a badly missed opportunity. The film looks extremely handsome and director McGuigan and director of photography Peter Sova conjure some arresting imagery.

The use of blurred frames and slow motion are especially effective, and the icy winds and snow of Chicago provide a stark contrast to the fiery emotions of the characters.

Hartnett still doesn't have the acting range or charisma to carry the film but this is his best performance for some time, while Byrne and Kruger are excellent as the women in Matthew's complicated love life.

Lillard adeptly trades his usual comedy patter for pathos.

Brandon Boyce's screenplay is the major stumbling block, seemingly determined to plug every plot-hole and rationalise every contrivance.

Life is confusing and sometimes, things happen which are strange and inexplicable - sadly, in Wicker Park, there is no room for personal interpretation. Pity.

See it at UCI, ABC