Secret Window Review
by Bob Bloom (bob AT bloomink DOT com)March 15th, 2004
SECRET WINDOW (2004) 3 stars out of 4. Starring Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton and Len Cariou. Music by Philip
Glass. Based upon the novella, "Secret Window, Secret Garden," by Stephen King.
Screenplay by David Koepp. Directed by David Koepp. Rated PG-13. Running time:
96 mins.
Secret Window seems to bask in an aura of familiarity.
Based on a novella by Stephen King, the movie plays for a long time like a Stephen King greatest hits compilation with motifs borrowed from other of the author’s works, most notably The Dark Half and The Shining.
But screenwriter-director David Koepp is leading us down a garden path toward
a wow finale that leaves you gaping.
Johnny Depp stars as Mort Rainey, an author suffering from a bad case of writer’s block. He’s depressed, aimless, sapped of energy. And no wonder. His life has gone down the toilet. His wife of 10 years, Amy (Maria Bello), has left him for another man, Ted (Timothy Hutton); has retained possession of their house; and is pressing Mort to sign divorce papers.
Into all this steps a mysterious individual named Shooter (John Turturro), a Mississippi farmer who claims Rainey plagiarized one of his short stories.
Shooter demands satisfaction, yet his motives prove mysterious and vague.
The pieces fit together easily, too easily, in fact, which sets you up for the
grand finale.
The true relationship between Mort and Shooter becomes apparent early on, yet
just when you think you have everything figured out. Well, you will have to see
the film for the punch line.
Depp adds another eccentric character to his growing gallery of oddballs. His
Rainey sleeps most of the time, runs around in a ripped, ratty bathrobe and looks as if he hasn’t washed for weeks. He has an odd habit of clicking his teeth and mouth as if they don’t fit together.
He also has flashbacks to the rainy night he caught Amy and Ted in bed at a motel.
Rainey becomes obsessed with proving to Shooter that the published short story
was his original idea, but all his attempts are strangely thwarted.
Turturro offers a very controlled performance. He oozes menace as he merely drawls his ultimatums in the softest of voices.
At a short 95 minutes, Secret Window moves along at a pace that allows you to
think you are getting ahead of the action. Koepp lulls you into a sense of smugness in which you believe you have fit all the pieces together.
Ironically, that strength also can be construed as the movie’s weakness since
Koepp leaves a couple of plot points unanswered.
But on the whole, Secret Window provides some chills and twists.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He
can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier
Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site:
www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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