Secret Window Movie Review:


Macabre master Stephen King always loves to play with our minds. One of his infamous headshrinker short stories has been sculpted for the big screen.

In his short story, “Secret Window, Secret Garden”, author Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) is going through a miserable divorce and even worse he is crippled by a mean streak of “writer’s block”. Rainey can hardly concentrate until a stranger appears at his front door. The man is John Shooter (John Turturro), an infuriated Southern writer who claims that Rainey is guilty of plagiarism and he will stop at nothing to set the record straight. How can both their manuscripts be identical? Furthermore how far is Shooter willing to go to torment Rainey into submission? Are Rainey’s ex-wife (Maria Bello) and her new lover (Timothy Hutton) at risk? Does Rainey care at this point?

The sculptor behind “Secret Window” is veteran screenwriter David Koepp who has penned huge blockbuster franchises like “Jurassic Park”, “Mission: Impossible” and “Spider-Man”. What seems to be the key to Koepp’s success is how he is able to breakdown a novel or graphic-novel into a strong screenplay which such finesse. Some of his treatments have been utterly brilliant.

His adaptation for “Secret Window” is one of those brilliant scripts. He has laced the main character Rainey with a sarcastic, explosive wit that is sure to tickle anyone’s funny bone. I also loved how the script called for Depp to be alone a lot of the time but we never got bored with him. This gave the film an almost live theatre presentation. I also really enjoyed the script for its embracing of the writing process. The script reminded me so much of my own pitfalls and successes as a writer. That was quite fun.

In the mid-90s, Koepp even directed some of his own scripts like “The Trigger Effect” and the much underrated “Stir of Echoes”. Koepp’s eye and fluid sense of direction seems to grow with every project. In “Secret Window” that flowing direction breaks new barriers. I loved how Koepp was able to blend a lot of elements seamlessly as he would cascade around a room. Koepp’s attention to detail is so interesting to watch. Watch for little details like what the Rainey character has half-open on his coffee table.

Aside from the interesting work of Koepp and a once more brilliant performance from Depp, “Secret Window” does have some flaws.

As the film progressed I found that the plot of the film reminded me of another Stephen King adaptation, 1993’s “The Dark Half” which uncannily starred “Secret Window” co-star Timothy Hutton. Was it on purpose that Hutton was cast? The reasons for my recollections were mainly due to the fact that the stories seemed to mirror each other in some ways. Both of the stories starred an author who is having troubles with his past and family. Without giving the films away the endings are quite similar in a lot of respects.

The crazy thing is that both film adaptations were vastly different, “Dark Half” was very dark while “Secret Window” is quite light with creepy undertones. I did like “Secret Window” better because of how the project was approached. We actually like the lead character in this story.

According to Stephen King’s website, King wrote “Secret Window” after “Dark Half”. Do these two stories have a common thread on purpose? Did one influence the other?

Aside from the strong case of déjà vu, I really enjoyed “Secret Window”. The humor, cinematography and crafty direction made it a joy to watch. Depp and Koepp make for an interesting viewing.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

In Stephen King's autobiography "Danse Macabre", the author writes that his best story ideas were cribbed from EC horror comics of the 1950's, typically where the wimpy husband gets revenge on his cheating wife and her hunky honcho.

Based on the novella by Stephen King, and filmed in Montreal last year, "Secret Window", stars Johnny Depp as 'Mort Rainey', a successful writer who snaps after discovering his trophy wife 'Amy' (Maria Bello) having sex in a roadside motel with Timothy Hutton.

Six months later, Mort is on his own, a recluse
existing in a waterside country house, an unwashed
couch potato who asks his dog for advice, while his
precious 'sloth' time is frequently interrupted by
calls from his now weepy wife who says she still loves him.

Even more of a headache, Mort is stalked by a
psychotic "Deliverance" type in the form of 'John
Shooter' (John Turturro) who plays head games by
accusing Mort of stealing his script for a book.

To make a long story short (which is what director
David Koepp seems to have done here), Mort falls
headlong into some mighty confusing situations, slowly realizing he is a legend in his own mind.

With star Johnny Depp going for a mind-blowing
performance, "Secret Window" provides an entertaining escape, attempting to throw some new light on the thriller genre.

Michael Stevens

Based on a novella by Stephen King, Secret Window seems more of a rip-off of the author’s earlier works than one he would call his own. The film is mostly reminiscent of King’s The Dark Half (a better book than a movie), with a blend of The Shining (a better movie than a book) and a pinch of Misery (one of the best King film adaptations).

Like most King stories, the film centers on a writer who is named Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp). Rainey has had success in the past and throughout the film the writer’s trailing voice over can be heard revealing his thoughts. In the film’s opening sequence, he catches his wife, Amy (Maria Bello), cheating on him with another man (Timothy Hutton). The film then flashes forward six-months later and has Rainey secluding himself to his remote wilderness cabin to try and knock out a new novel. However, he conforms to his couch more than he does to his writing by taking 16-hour daily naps to cope with his depression of he and Amy’s pending divorce. A psychotic stranger then arrives at his door named John Shooter (John Turturro) accusing Rainey of plagiarism. The mysterious man from Mississippi leaves Rainey a manuscript, which is written word for word like the author’s short story Secret Window. After leaving Rainey with an ultimatum of fixing his story, Shooter’s pernicious actions are evident that he is not just another crazed accuser.

David Koepp adapted and directed the film, in which there are some moments of tension, but his distraught choices throughout the film are not as crisp as they could have been. Though most of the time a blockbuster screenwriter (Spider-Man, Jurassic Park), Koepp is capable of delivering an effective thriller; he did so previously with Stir of Echoes and as writer with Panic Room. Though his efforts with Secret Window are acknowledgeable they are nothing close to memorable. Koepp’s most effective choices are his precise moments of eavesdropping in on Rainey while at his cabin, and if you look very closely during the interior shots of the cabin many viable clues are visible.

The sheer talent of Johnny Depp will also hold your interest in this film. Much like he did last fall with Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Depp is in a role that he takes to another level than what the script offers him. Depp is dynamite as the challenged writer that is trying to fend off an evil accuser. Even just watching Depp wake up from a nap or eat a bag of Doritos is a pure treat. John Turturro will never really win you over with his heavy southern accented Scooter. Though his eyes are striking as a whole his performance a little over board. Maria Bello is efficient in the few scenes that she has as Rainey’s ex-wife and Timothy Hutton, who played the lead role in another similar King film adaptation The Dark Half, plays her lover Ted.

Though nowhere close to the worst or the best of Stephen King’s film adaptations, Secret Window inhabits distinct choices from other King stories and jumbles them into one. There are a few thrilling moments in this film, but it is for sure stuff we have all seen before. The ending of the film is also very predictable; the only real reason to watch Secret Window is for Depp’s terrific performance.

Grade: C

Joseph C. Tucker

Six months after catching his wife Amy (Bello) having an affair, Mort Rainey (Depp) has hidden himself away at his cabin to start work on his new book. Struggling to get started he hears a knock at his door and is greeted by a very angry man called John Shooter (Turturro). He accuses Mort of stealing his story and is here to seek justice for the author’s alleged plagiarism. Protesting his innocence, Shooter gives him three days to prove that the story is his or suffer the consequences.

Adaptations of Stephen King novels or short stories can go one of two ways, either they are extremely good (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me, The Green Mile, Misery or The Shining) or horrendously bad (Dreamcatcher, Pet Cemetery, Sleepwalkers or The Tommyknockers). Secret Window creates a new category for itself however, simply entertaining.

While breaking no new ground and been slightly predictable, the movie is still good to watch, keeping your attention for its full duration. The script concocts a twisting yarn that does throws slightly too many clues your way but it still hooks you from the off.

This is all due to the performance of Johnny Depp. He is one of the most natural actors on the planet who can effortlessly create a character that is instantly watchable and totally compelling. In Mort Rainey we have a man whose world has been snatched from him, making him hide away from society and even drown his own once abundant creativity. Depp makes the character come alive by injecting believability into him and his circumstances. This is someone who is struggling to cope with rejection and confrontation in the shape of Shooter but Depp makes him instantly accessible and easy to relate to. The actor is becoming a master of characterisation and one of the best actors of his generation.

The movie is all about Depp’s character as he is in nearly every scene but he does have some good support. Maria Bello is becoming a character actress to watch and is quite impressive as Mort’s ex-wife Amy. Desperately trying to still be his friend, this is a character that Bello makes you like when you really shouldn’t. Timothy Hutton on the other hand creates a character that you take an instant dislike to. The actor does a great job in making Amy’s boyfriend Ted the object of all Mort’s frustrations about his marriage break-up. The ever-excellent John Turturro gives another fine performance as the sinister John Shooter. This is character that you instantly distrust and fear, with Turturro playing him as his most threatening. Charles Dutton as security expert Ken and Len Cariou as Sheriff Newsome also do a good job in smaller roles.

“Secret Window” is a very watchable thriller that is made all the more so by the presence of Johnny Depp. It brings nothing new to the genre and you will probably guess the outcome before the finale plays itself out but you’ll enjoy the journey all the same.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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