~Spoiler~
Secret Window, based on the Stephen King short story, is about a writer (shocker!) named Mort Rainey who is accused of plagiarism by a potential psychopath. The accuser, John Shooter, begins to mildly terrorize Rainey in an attempt to have him rewrite the ending which Rainey changed. You know how some directors often say "It's not a horror film, it's a psychological thriller."? Well, this is one of the times that really applies. I had a one of a kind experience seeing Secret Window on the big screen. Towards the end of the film a tornado touched down somewhere near the theater so we had to evacuate our seats and seek shelter in the halls. When the tornado warning was over we returned to our seats to finish the film, however the audio was not synced up and we had no idea what was going on. I had to wait until Secret Window hit DVD shelves before I could see how the story ended (even though I predicted early on where it was headed). Boy, was I unimpressed. Turns out Mort is Shooter...big surprise. Anyone with half a brain will see that coming. Fight Club is the only movie where this twist works and it's now a big cliché. The only aspect of this Stephen King adaptation that warrants an honorable mention is the cast. Johnny Depp is good as his usual weirdo self and John Turturro is always a joy to watch. Also the supporting cast made up of Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, and Charles S. Dutton all turn in good performances. Writer-director David Koepp needs to heed Shooter's advice: "The most important part of a story is the ending."
Secret Window, based on the Stephen King short story, is about a writer (shocker!) named Mort Rainey who is accused of plagiarism by a potential psychopath. The accuser, John Shooter, begins to mildly terrorize Rainey in an attempt to have him rewrite the ending which Rainey changed. You know how some directors often say "It's not a horror film, it's a psychological thriller."? Well, this is one of the times that really applies. I had a one of a kind experience seeing Secret Window on the big screen. Towards the end of the film a tornado touched down somewhere near the theater so we had to evacuate our seats and seek shelter in the halls. When the tornado warning was over we returned to our seats to finish the film, however the audio was not synced up and we had no idea what was going on. I had to wait until Secret Window hit DVD shelves before I could see how the story ended (even though I predicted early on where it was headed). Boy, was I unimpressed. Turns out Mort is Shooter...big surprise. Anyone with half a brain will see that coming. Fight Club is the only movie where this twist works and it's now a big cliché. The only aspect of this Stephen King adaptation that warrants an honorable mention is the cast. Johnny Depp is good as his usual weirdo self and John Turturro is always a joy to watch. Also the supporting cast made up of Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, and Charles S. Dutton all turn in good performances. Writer-director David Koepp needs to heed Shooter's advice: "The most important part of a story is the ending."