Secret Window is being sold as a thriller with a big twist ending. That is something like passing off the ending of Oedipus Rex as a novel twist. Granted, theater goers in 2000 BC might have been surprised by Oedipus but then you'd probably have to go nearly as far back to find an audience who'd be shocked by Secret Window. Nevertheless the movie is surprisingly engrossing due to the cast and some enjoyably off-kilter dialog.
Secret Window concerns one Mort Rainey, a writer well into his sixth month of a depressive funk due to the breakup of his marriage. She got their house and a new-age lover. He got the lake front cabin and the family dog. Rainey spends his self pitying days napping on the couch and talking to the dog. One afternoon he is wakened by a cornpone southerner who calls himself John Shooter. Shooter accuses Rainey of stealing one of his stories and threatens hot vengeance if Rainey doesn't admit to the plagiarism. On the off-chance you might be surprised by the movie's twists and turns this is all you should know going in. As for those of you who can smell a stale twist a mile off, you should be aware that Rainey is played by Johnny Depp. Lacking the surprises and chills that a thriller should provide Depp pretty much becomes Secret Window's whole show. So be warned, if you don't like Depp's bag of tricks this movie isn't for you.
Depp's Rainey is not the mannered caricature that is his usual stock and trade. If you go in expecting Jack Sparrow or Ed Wood you are going to be disappointed. Though enlivened by a few of Depp's trademarked quirks, Rainey remains recognizably human if not particularly likeable. He displays nasty flashes of misanthropy and his reaction to peace overtures from his wife is repellent. Despite this we like the guy and feel for him once John Shooter enters his life. Shooter is played by John Turturro with a slow talking malevolence that is not as memorable as it should have been. Still, watching Shooter's bloody minded quest for literary justice makes you understand why famous authors don't read unsolicited manuscripts. Charles S. Dutton has a fine time as a professional body guard Rainey calls upon and Len Cariou has an amusing role as a fatally inefficient sheriff. Surprisingly the key roles of Rainey's wife and her lover are badly underdeveloped. As the ex-Mrs. Rainey, Maria Bello is forced to rely on her beauty to suggest why Rainey implodes at her infidelity. Timothy Hutton is a star in his own right and has his own collection of method acting tricks. As the lover he could have matched Depp tick for tick but is never given the chance.
One gets the feeling that nobody involved with Secret Window kidded themselves that the ending was less than predictable. The movie marches deliberately along gravely signaling ahead so onlookers will be forewarned of any approaching surprise. To give it credit the movie allows the plot to come to its logical conclusion and its characters don't cheat fate. For those in a forgiving mood, or for those who simply like Johnny Depp, Secret Window is worth a view.
Secret Window concerns one Mort Rainey, a writer well into his sixth month of a depressive funk due to the breakup of his marriage. She got their house and a new-age lover. He got the lake front cabin and the family dog. Rainey spends his self pitying days napping on the couch and talking to the dog. One afternoon he is wakened by a cornpone southerner who calls himself John Shooter. Shooter accuses Rainey of stealing one of his stories and threatens hot vengeance if Rainey doesn't admit to the plagiarism. On the off-chance you might be surprised by the movie's twists and turns this is all you should know going in. As for those of you who can smell a stale twist a mile off, you should be aware that Rainey is played by Johnny Depp. Lacking the surprises and chills that a thriller should provide Depp pretty much becomes Secret Window's whole show. So be warned, if you don't like Depp's bag of tricks this movie isn't for you.
Depp's Rainey is not the mannered caricature that is his usual stock and trade. If you go in expecting Jack Sparrow or Ed Wood you are going to be disappointed. Though enlivened by a few of Depp's trademarked quirks, Rainey remains recognizably human if not particularly likeable. He displays nasty flashes of misanthropy and his reaction to peace overtures from his wife is repellent. Despite this we like the guy and feel for him once John Shooter enters his life. Shooter is played by John Turturro with a slow talking malevolence that is not as memorable as it should have been. Still, watching Shooter's bloody minded quest for literary justice makes you understand why famous authors don't read unsolicited manuscripts. Charles S. Dutton has a fine time as a professional body guard Rainey calls upon and Len Cariou has an amusing role as a fatally inefficient sheriff. Surprisingly the key roles of Rainey's wife and her lover are badly underdeveloped. As the ex-Mrs. Rainey, Maria Bello is forced to rely on her beauty to suggest why Rainey implodes at her infidelity. Timothy Hutton is a star in his own right and has his own collection of method acting tricks. As the lover he could have matched Depp tick for tick but is never given the chance.
One gets the feeling that nobody involved with Secret Window kidded themselves that the ending was less than predictable. The movie marches deliberately along gravely signaling ahead so onlookers will be forewarned of any approaching surprise. To give it credit the movie allows the plot to come to its logical conclusion and its characters don't cheat fate. For those in a forgiving mood, or for those who simply like Johnny Depp, Secret Window is worth a view.