Secret Window (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Johnny Depp stars in 'Secret Window', a mystery directed by David Koepp & based from a Stephen King novel. Mort Raimey (Depp), a novelist dealing with writer's block and a bothersome divorce with his ex, Amy (Maria Bello), finds himself stalked at his woodsy lake house by a 'seemingly' psychotic stranger (John Turturro) who claims Mort stole one of his stories. But there's more to this story than meets the eye ... of course there is, this is Stephen King we're talking about here. The movie's camerawork/angles are stellar. Johnny Depp's screen presence is undeniable. The story has its moments (of both horror & humor). As a psychological thriller, it succeeds for a good amount of the running time. But it is repetitive in the middle, it isn't overly scary, & it lacks some suspense.
After catching Amy sleeping with Ted, her current boyfriend, Mort retreats to his isolated cabin to write. But Mort is confronted by John Shooter (Turturro), the man who accuses him of plagiarizing an original story of his. Mort thinks this can all be resolved by showing Shooter his original version, published 2 years beforehand. But Mort can't find the copy and Shooter maintains his plagiarism story. Meanwhile, this mysterious man & his story starts to consume Mort. He finds the story; it IS almost identical to Shooter's! Strange things start happening just when Amy re-enters his life. And Shooter continues to harass Mort, popping up at any given moment. Where has Mort's dog gone? Who is Shooter? Who wrote the story first? Does Mort have good reason to feel guilty of something?
I can't give away the rest (and believe me, the movie relies SOLELY on not finding out the truth of this wacky story until the very end). But things get quite sinister, bodies start piling up, and Mort can't get a grip on who he may even be! There is a twist in the end. It's either brilliant or utterly ridiculous, depending on your take. The main question is: Was the 97 minute ride worth it because of the ending? I actually don't think so. But I DO think there is enough nuance, atmosphere, & acting to make this a worth-while trip to the theater and/or Blockbuster video. Turturro & Bello give interesting performances. But this is the Johnny Depp show. Winner or stinker, it really depends on him. I was 'almost' dissatisfied. Really, the perfect example of an average B-/C+/2.5 star out of 4 type of movie.
After catching Amy sleeping with Ted, her current boyfriend, Mort retreats to his isolated cabin to write. But Mort is confronted by John Shooter (Turturro), the man who accuses him of plagiarizing an original story of his. Mort thinks this can all be resolved by showing Shooter his original version, published 2 years beforehand. But Mort can't find the copy and Shooter maintains his plagiarism story. Meanwhile, this mysterious man & his story starts to consume Mort. He finds the story; it IS almost identical to Shooter's! Strange things start happening just when Amy re-enters his life. And Shooter continues to harass Mort, popping up at any given moment. Where has Mort's dog gone? Who is Shooter? Who wrote the story first? Does Mort have good reason to feel guilty of something?
I can't give away the rest (and believe me, the movie relies SOLELY on not finding out the truth of this wacky story until the very end). But things get quite sinister, bodies start piling up, and Mort can't get a grip on who he may even be! There is a twist in the end. It's either brilliant or utterly ridiculous, depending on your take. The main question is: Was the 97 minute ride worth it because of the ending? I actually don't think so. But I DO think there is enough nuance, atmosphere, & acting to make this a worth-while trip to the theater and/or Blockbuster video. Turturro & Bello give interesting performances. But this is the Johnny Depp show. Winner or stinker, it really depends on him. I was 'almost' dissatisfied. Really, the perfect example of an average B-/C+/2.5 star out of 4 type of movie.