(2004) 3 Tracie Cooper The mystery certainly isn't in the characters. From the tortured writer to the gruff private investigator all the way to the wary yet sympathetic ex-wife, the cast of Secret Window staunchly adheres to their respective caricatures. The ending is hardly a revelation, either; it could have only been more clichéd had the culprit been a butler. Based on a novella by the ever-prolific Stephen King, the secret in Secret Window lies somewhere inside the film's unrealized potential. The shorter length could have eased the heady task of adapting the written word of King, who has, in the past, dedicated hundreds of pages to subjects ranging from omniscient turtles to a gargantuan imaginary library subject to exploitation by malevolent aliens. With no lengthy, abstract concepts to omit or include at risk of hindering the plot, Secret Window had the means to have been something much greater than it was. Unfortunately, it could never quite decide between being a horrific journey of self-discovery or a divorce comedy with a macabre twist. The result is a film that seems thoroughly uncomfortable in its own skin, and hovers on the fine, mediocre line between boring and suspenseful for just long enough to make its ultimate degeneration that much more disappointing. Johnny Depp plays Mort Rainey, a moderately successful author whose depression and subsequent writer's block stem from three things: the split from his wife, his feelings of guilt and anger regarding the split from his wife, and the awareness that when it comes to writing, he's just a hack at heart. Depp does an admirable job with his limitations, and despite being a pitiful character with potentially psychotic undertones, he is easy to like. Similarly, John Turturro in the role of an unhinged author bent on avenging what he believes is plagiarism by Mort, is easy to hate, particularly after he begins driving screwdrivers into innocent heads of both the canine and human variety. However, the actors could not wholly save an essentially weak film; they could only provide a temporary distraction. In the end, the "secret window" offers little more than a glimpse at a story that lost its originality long ago.

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Secret Window (2004)

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Violence
Not For Children
Adult Language

genres

Thriller

sub-genres

Psychological Thriller

category

Feature

directed by

David Koepp

countries

USA

release date

March 12, 2004 (USA)

run time

106 min.

produced by

Pariah Entertainment Group

released by

Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment

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	Title/Studio	Release Date
	Secret Window UCA More	October 6, 2008

	Secret Window [UMD] Sony Pictures More	September 2, 2008

	Secret Window [Blu-ray] Columbia Tristar More	May 14, 2007

	Secret Window [Blu-ray] Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Canadian) More	April 24, 2007

	Secret Window [Blu-ray] Sony Pictures More	April 24, 2007

	Secret Window Columbia More	October 11, 2004

	Secret Window Columbia TriStar More	June 22, 2004

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