Secret Window
Directed by:
David KoeppScreenplay:
David KoeppCinematography:
Fred MurphyCast:
Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton, Len Cariou, John Dunn-Hill, Vlasta Vrana, Isabelle Champeau, Sarah Allen (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Though he knows he should be at his computer writing another book, or at least walking his dog along the sparkling lake outside his dingy cabin, successful author Mort Rainey is sleeping on his favorite sofa for up to 16 hours a day. He is in the midst of a painful divorce and everything about the breakup has turned messy and unpleasant. It has sapped his energy and siphoned away his creativity, leaving him with a monumental case of writer's block that renders him incapable of even stringing a simple sentence together. Then, when it seems as if things can't possibly get worse, a psychotic stranger named John Shooter shows up at his doorstep, accuses Rainey of plagiarizing his story and demands satisfaction. Despite Rainey's efforts to placate him, Shooter becomes increasingly insistent and hostile, intimating a twisted sort of justice that could include cold-blooded murder. Forced into a mind-bending game of cat and mouse, Rainey discovers that he has more cunningness and gritty determination than he ever imagined. In the end, he realizes that elusive Shooter may know him better than he knows himself. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (9)
A brilliantly paced psychological thriller that gets totally buried at the end by perhaps the most perverse climax imaginable. Johnny Depp is without question superb, John Turturro is also great in a role somewhat atypical for him also great. David Koepp is otherwise a master screenwriter, but he didn't quite pull it off here. I wouldn't have any particular complaints about the direction, but the likes of Tony Gilroy and Michael Clayton definitely have the upper hand in the "writer/director" category.
()
The excellent Johnny Depp in a slightly above average adaptation of King’s short novella Secret Window, Secret Garden. Everything goes perfectly until Koepp begins to play around and totally revamps the whole ending of the movie. I still don’t know why he did it. Because in his novella, King replaced cliché with a surprising outcome and so the punchline is completely elsewhere. Too bad, it was a good attempt.
()
An excellent Johnny Depp, as usual, an impressive atmosphere and a visible effort to prepare the viewer for the final "shocking" twist, which is supposed to be the main star of the whole story. The conclusion, however, is far from imaginative and surprising, and Stephen King absolutely failed to handle it as expected. As a result, David Koepp could have tried his best, but wouldn’t have saved this predictable and bland tale anyway.
()
Decent adaptation of Stephen King's literary original, relying on the excellent acting of Johnny Depp. Although it doesn't belong to the top of the genre due to the average script, it will get a nice 70% of the overall impression from me. The twist is predictable, but the film manages to maintain its atmosphere almost until the very end, and several scenes have their own charming King-esque vibe.
()
Even ignoring my aversion towards Johnny Depp, Secret Window is nothing but an average thriller. I didn’t feel any atmosphere, only the maniac played by John Turturro was unsettling in a proper King fashion. The twist is so uninteresting these days that it’s not even worth saying anything else about it. I was actually ashamed that I didn’t figure it out after a couple of minutes. The ending, on the other hand, was nice. Mixed 6/10.
()
Ads