Film Snail

Secret Window
Secret Window

6.6

Secret Window

PG-13·2004·96m

Summary

Mort Rainey, a writer just emerging from a painful divorce with his ex-wife, is stalked at his remote lake house by a psychotic stranger and would-be scribe who claims Rainey swiped his best story idea. But as Rainey endeavors to prove his innocence, he begins to question his own sanity.

Crew

Director, Screenplay

David Koepp

Novel

Stephen King

Reviews

John Chard

John Chard

March 20, 2015

6

You strike me as the kind of guy who's on the lookout for a head he can knock off with a shovel.

It's actually a film that shows both the good and bad sides of Johnny Depp and Stephen King adaptations to film form.

Depp plays a writer who whilst going through a divorce and living out in the country in isolation, is suddenly menaced by John Turturo, who claims he is the victim of plagiarism perpetrated by Depp. Mysteries and murky shenanigans to follow...

That the film, in spite of its flimsy heart, is watchable, is down to the two stars, both are filing in for eccentricities and spooky menace respectively. Yet it's a bit of a one trick pony and difficult to take seriously, while it's also surprisingly bloodless, negating the interest of the potential Stephen King blood-lust crowd. The reveal is something of a cheat given what has gone before, belief of suspension is so stretched to breaking point, you literally should be wondering just what all other characters were doing in the film?!

Still, Johnny and John, resplendent with weird hats and hairdo's, give good camera time and save David Koepp's movie from stinker damnation. 6/10

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$40,000,000.00

Revenue:

$92,900,000.00

Keywords

adultery
jealousy
nightmare
police
isolation
alcohol
window
mississippi river
detective
paranoia
motel
letter
notebook
murder
arson
writer
divorce
ax