Secret Window caps off the third film in a row where Johnny Depp is absolutely fantastic in the role that he plays (following Pirates of the Caribbean and Once Upon A Time In Mexcio) – this time around he plays author Mort Rainey, who is being stalked by a crazed man (played by a fantastic John Turturro (who played the butler in Mr Deeds)) who claims that he has stolen one of his stories.
Things escalate until Rainey eventually has to face his own demons and accept the horrible truth – which I can’t tell you.
Based on a short story by Stephen King, Secret Window is a thriller of the highest caliber. Written for the screen by David Koepp, the writer of Panic Room, it keeps you guessing until the very end. Aside from the Class A writing, Secret Window’s best kept secret is the tone which it manages to keep right throughout the film – its best moments are in the quiet parts, however it does tend to slow down a little too much in a couple of parts.
The support cast is great, led by Maria Bello and Charles S Dutton, and it has become my favorite Stephen King movie – if only for the fact that The Shining is getting a little old now.
I give it a 8.5 out of 10 – it definitely could’ve done with a little better music and a less predictable ending, and the previously mentioned ‘slow’ parts are a little hard to sit through.
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