Today’s quick review: Secret Window. Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) is a successful writer whose personal life is falling apart. In the middle of a messy divorce with Amy (Maria Bello), Mort takes a trip to his lakeside cabin to get some writing done. But his peace of mind is shattered when a stranger named John Shooter (John Turturro) shows up, claiming that Mort stole his story. As John’s threats escalate, Mort finds himself running out of options.
Secret Window is a psychological thriller based on a story by Stephen King. Johnny Depp stars as Mort Rainey, a writer pushed to the brink by a violent stalker. Secret Window aims to be a taut thriller that ties together Mort’s unraveling mental state and the mystery of John Shooter. The movie does succeed in weaving an inescapable web around Mort using John’s malicious behavior. However, the rest of the story leaves something to be desired.
Secret Window’s main issue is that it doesn’t set its hook very deep. The mystery of who John Shooter only takes the movie so far. The rest of the time is spent dealing with the detritus of Mort’s personal life, from his idle procrastination at writing to his sullen refusal to cooperate with the divorce proceedings. These aspects rob the story of some of its menace: For all that Mort rages against John, he never seems to take the threat too seriously.
All of this culminates in an ambitious ending that works better in theory than in practice. Secret Window has the elements of a good thriller, but the way it’s executed makes it a loose and unsatisfying watch. The movie has enough going on to intrigue the right viewer, but the movie gambles heavily on a passive main character and a hit-or-miss finale. Those looking for surefire thrills will want to look elsewhere.
For a much more effective psychological thriller in a similar vein, try Shutter Island. For another movie about a struggling writer with John Turturro, try Barton Fink. For a suspense thriller that portrays a more menacing situation in an everyday setting, try Rear Window or North by Northwest.
6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for a decent premise with flaky execution.