Movie Review: Secret Window

Secret Window

Stephen King is an extremely prolific writer of some very scary horror stories. It's no real surprise, then, that a large number of his stories have been optioned by Hollywood for movies. The sad part is that, in the main, the stories are far better than what ends up on screen (Carrie is a notable exception, and just about the only one). Being a fan of Mr. King, I'm all too often disappointed in the theatrical version of his stories. But Secret Window almost did the original story justice, thanks in large part to its star.

Morton Rainey (Johnny Depp) is a famous author suffering a raging case of writer's block compounded by a deep depression caused by his divorce. His soon to be ex-wife Amy (Maria Bello) behaves as though she'd like to stay Mort's friend, but her very visible romantic relationship with a man named Ted (Timothy Hutton) is a knife in Mort's heart every time he thinks of her. As if poor Mort isn't suffering enough, a stranger shows up on the doorstep of his remote lake cabin one afternoon and accuses him of plagiarizing a story he wrote some years before. John Shooter (John Tuturro) wants an apology from Mort. Even more than that, he wants the professional writer to "fix" an ending he considers weak. Mort initially dismisses the man as just another crazed fan, but when a bloody message is left for him outside his front door, he reports the entire matter to the local sheriff (Len Cariou). Even as law enforcement and a hired bodyguard/detective (Charles Dutton) strive to find Shooter and protect Mort, the horror deepens until Mort realizes neither he nor anyone he loves is safe as long as Shooter is on the loose.

The script for Secret Window is only okay, although some impressive directing and amazing cinemetography cover its shortcomings quite handily. As strange as this is going to sound, I have to say that Johnny Depp is so good that he's almost distracting. This is a man who so owns the movie screen that, despite the fact much of the movie focuses on him alone in the cabin, he's never less than entirely captivating. With messy hair and sleep-filled eyes, he sits on his couch and eats Doritos for breakfast and you simply cannot look away. Pirates of the Caribbean made him into a mainstream box office draw, but Depp was never less than a brilliant actor and he's only gotten better as the years have passed. John Tuturro, accused of being overly dramatic in some critical reviews, was dramatic all right. But the role itself called for everything he gave it, and it's my opinion that he was all the more effective and frightening for it. Charles Dutton and Maria Bello were okay, while Timothy Hutton as the obsequious boyfriend was good enough to imbue significant emotion into a relatively short time onscreen.

As a whole, Secret Window will disappoint real horror fans because it is not, quite frankly, all that scary. But for movie fans who know the value of a truly stellar performance, Johnny Depp offers you every bit of value for your ticket dollar and then some. And the cinemetography, too, offers some real treats for the afficianado. Even the casual moviegoer will be entertained trying to figure out just where this strange tale will twist next. While I can't call Secret Window a "must see," I have no problem in telling you that you probably won't be unhappy you went if you do choose to go.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Secret Window is rated PG-13 for violence, terror, sexual content, and language. It's not suitable for young children, but those 12 and older should be just fine with it.