Secret Window (2004)

Then, when it seems as if things can’t possibly get worse, a psychotic stranger named John Shooter (John Turturro) shows up at his doorstep, accuses Rainey of plagiarizing his story and demands satisfaction. Despite Rainey’s efforts to placate him, Shooter becomes increasingly insistent and hostile, intimating a twisted sort of justice that could include cold-blooded murder.

Forced into a mind-bending game of cat and mouse, Rainey discovers that he has more cunningness and gritty determination than he ever imagined. In the end, he realizes that elusive Shooter may know him better than he knows

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External Reviews

Those looking for a standard Stephen King gorefest will be disappointed. The levels of violence and blood are tame enough for the MPAA to issue a PG-13 (although I dispute that because of one scene), leaving the majority of Secret Window's horror in the psychological realm. It's a taut, entertaining motion picture that serves its purpose. 

John Turturro is cleverly creepy and Johnny Depp appropriately tangle-haired and crotchety, but the real star of this Stephen King adaptation is the couch.

-- (Salon)

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The story is more entertaining as it rolls along than it is when it gets to the finish line. But at least King uses his imagination right up to the end, and spares us the obligatory violent showdown that a lesser storyteller would have settled for. 

-- (Chicago Sun-Times)

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As for the story, Rainey is an author who is accused of plagiarism by a scary stranger called John Shooter (John Turturro), who is too much of a Stephen King character to be really interesting. In any case, of all the things Rainey could do to prove his innocence--including a Google search--the ones he picks are the most ludicrous. 

-- (Boxoffice Magazine)

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I have not read the Stephen King novella on which "Secret Window" is based. Nevertheless, I guessed what the movie's big surprise was just from watching the TV commercial. 

-- (L.A. Daily News)

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But in the end, this just deteriorates into a mediocre suspense flick with a cute Johnny Depp cherry on top. C+

-- (E! Online)

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The view from "Secret Window" makes for a diverting enough ride, and the hard left turn it takes at the end induces a decent amount of whiplash -- albeit in a way that's more than a little derivative of "Psycho." But it never profoundly satisfies, by doing something that both startles and has staying power.

--Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post)

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Koepp clearly knows how to build subtle menace. And as a director, he has created an appropriately eerie world: Mort's cabin is shrouded in darkness and mist; it feels like a natural, scary cul-de-sac. If there's a take-home message to be gleaned from "Secret Window," it is this: You can boost mediocrity a little, but you cannot raise it from the dead.

--Desson Thomson (Washington Post)

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''Window'' has been opened up to let too much air into the room, and the sluggish pacing will allow even the drowsiest viewer to keep up with the story. ...has the vague plotting generally found in an anthology horror-show episode. It's the kind of thingthat's fine for about 20 minutes, before your attention kicks in, or nods off.

--ELVIS MITCHELL (The New York Times)

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At the end of the day, Secret Window is a sub-par thriller that’s trailers pretend to be something that it isn’t that has a great opening tracking shot and a fun performance by Johnny Depp. That said, it’s less entertaining than most Stephen King adaptations including some of the straight-to-video ones. 5/10

-- (CHUD.com)

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I enjoyed most of this movie, primarily because of Depp's performance, the touches of humor and Koepp's taut directing, but at the end of the day, didn't feel complete when the film revealed itself entirely. Great final shot though! 6/10

-- (JoBlo.com)

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'Secret Window" is what happens when a writer - in this case, Stephen King - hangs around the house too long in his bathrobe, working in solitary at his computer: He is too much inside his head. 

--Jami Bernard (New York Daily News)

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Unfortunately, there are a couple of directorial and stylistic slipups but they are forgivable. When we King fans walk into the theater, we never know if we're going to get Maximum Overdrive or The Shining -- or something in the ravine between those extremes -- so I'm glad to report that although Secret Window may not be classic, it's one of the "good" King adaptations and worth seeing.

--Staci Layne Wilson (Horror.com)

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Directed by

David Koepp Stir of Echoes, The Trigger Effect, Suspicious

Written by

Stephen King The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Shining David Koepp War of the Worlds, Mission: Impossible, The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Cast

Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory John Turturro The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Anger Management Maria Bello Payback, A History of Violence, Coyote Ugly Timothy Hutton The General's Daughter, Kinsey, French Kiss Charles Dutton Alien 3, Gothika, A Time to Kill Len Cariou About Schmidt, Executive Decision, Never Talk to Strangers Joan Heney Frequency, Spider, Detroit Rock City [more]

The secret is out the window much too quickly, but Johnny Depp does shine. --Kirk Honeycutt (Hollywod Reporter) Like a cheap Saturday night in L.A., Secret Window veers off into the absurd, but it's still low-rent, pulp-fiction fun.  --Stacie Hougland (Hollywood.com) The movie travels along at a nice leisurely pace and keeps the viewer pretty entertained. B --Craig Younkin (Lee's Movie Info) ... what we ultimately receive in Window is a clear disappointment, not because it follows a familiar formula, but because it lacks the suspense and action so prevalent in King’s novels.  --David Levine (FilmCritic.com) While the film may be far from perfect, Secret Window offers a well-acted and tautly-directed thriller of substantial depth and character.  --Christopher Monfette (MovieWeb) The only real secret to this film is how they got Johnny Depp to star in it.  --Derek May (MovieWeb) It's true that we have seen these movies about quirky writers before. But with a performance from, honestly, one of the best actors of my time, and crafted by a top-notch writer-director, it's no secret that Secret Window is the best movie to come out sofar this year.  --Brian Gallagher (MovieWeb)

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