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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Secret Window
By Craig Younkin Published March 14, 2004
US Release: March 12, 2004
Directed by: David Koepp
Starring: Johnny Depp , John Turturro , Maria Bello
PG-13
Running Time: 106 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $47,781,000
Directed by: David Koepp
Starring: Johnny Depp , John Turturro , Maria Bello
PG-13
Running Time: 106 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $47,781,000
B
The movie travels along at a nice leisurely pace and keeps the viewer pretty entertained.
Secret Window is a serviceable thriller, but the real enjoyment comes from watching another great performance by Johnny Depp ? who doesn't love this guy's amazing, original acting style? He is always worth the price of admission whether the movie is about pirates or finger paint.
Here he plays Mort Rainey, a best selling author who has moved out to a remote cabin in the woods. He spends his time sleeping and walking around in a ratty bathrobe trying to decide how best to begin his latest novel. His only major disturbance is the housekeeper until the day that John Shooter (John Turturro) arrives at his door. Shooter is a nut-job with a Mississippi accent and thinks that Rainey plagiarized his story.
Surely enough, Shooter does have a manuscript to prove that he wrote it and upon examination Mort sees that it is word for word the same story. The one thing separates the two: Shooter wrote his story in 1997 and Mort wrote and even got his published in a magazine that came out in 1995. Only Shooter is a very violent and unreasonable man, and begins terrorizing Rainey to get what he wants.
This leaves Mort with only one option: to go back to his wife Amy (Maria Bello) and get the magazine, but that is easier said than done. This brings him back into her world, as the two are trying to finalize a divorce and Mort can't even bring himself to talk to her or her new beau Tedd (Timothy Hutton) without feeling a certain amount of rage. As a result, he hires an ex-cop (Charles S. Dutton) as a bodyguard and alerts the arthritic sheriff (Len Cariou) of his current situation.
Secret Window has a few intense moments and sprinkles some shocks every once and a while, but David Koepp's screenplay is really more about mystery than scares. Otherwise the film is Depp's showcase, as he turns in a funny and edgy performance, but also gives Rainey quirky mannerisms like strangling the phone whenever his wife calls or waking up from a nap with terrible pillow hair. Mort Rainey is a character being attacked from all sides; Amy, Tedd, and Shooter are all adding pressure on him and Depp does a really nice job of having us identify with that.
John Tuturro is also at the top of his game, handing in a very creepy performance as Shooter. And Maria Bello and Timothy Hutton are also really solid, especially in the scenes where they play off of Depp. The movie travels along at a nice leisurely pace and keeps the viewer pretty entertained until it gives us a clich? surprise ending that, over the years, has become more of a cop out than a surprise. Still, bow down to the tower of Depp cause it's always worth it.
Here he plays Mort Rainey, a best selling author who has moved out to a remote cabin in the woods. He spends his time sleeping and walking around in a ratty bathrobe trying to decide how best to begin his latest novel. His only major disturbance is the housekeeper until the day that John Shooter (John Turturro) arrives at his door. Shooter is a nut-job with a Mississippi accent and thinks that Rainey plagiarized his story.
Surely enough, Shooter does have a manuscript to prove that he wrote it and upon examination Mort sees that it is word for word the same story. The one thing separates the two: Shooter wrote his story in 1997 and Mort wrote and even got his published in a magazine that came out in 1995. Only Shooter is a very violent and unreasonable man, and begins terrorizing Rainey to get what he wants.
This leaves Mort with only one option: to go back to his wife Amy (Maria Bello) and get the magazine, but that is easier said than done. This brings him back into her world, as the two are trying to finalize a divorce and Mort can't even bring himself to talk to her or her new beau Tedd (Timothy Hutton) without feeling a certain amount of rage. As a result, he hires an ex-cop (Charles S. Dutton) as a bodyguard and alerts the arthritic sheriff (Len Cariou) of his current situation.
Secret Window has a few intense moments and sprinkles some shocks every once and a while, but David Koepp's screenplay is really more about mystery than scares. Otherwise the film is Depp's showcase, as he turns in a funny and edgy performance, but also gives Rainey quirky mannerisms like strangling the phone whenever his wife calls or waking up from a nap with terrible pillow hair. Mort Rainey is a character being attacked from all sides; Amy, Tedd, and Shooter are all adding pressure on him and Depp does a really nice job of having us identify with that.
John Tuturro is also at the top of his game, handing in a very creepy performance as Shooter. And Maria Bello and Timothy Hutton are also really solid, especially in the scenes where they play off of Depp. The movie travels along at a nice leisurely pace and keeps the viewer pretty entertained until it gives us a clich? surprise ending that, over the years, has become more of a cop out than a surprise. Still, bow down to the tower of Depp cause it's always worth it.
Craig's Grade: B
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
