Secret Window (DVD, 2004)

What I could call a psychological suspense akin to old Alfred Hitchcock films, "Secret Window," is based on a Stephen King novella of a different kind.

The story begins with a sloppy avant garde writer, Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp), an alcoholic & cigarette addict because he feels like his life's out of his own control: after his wife (Maria Bello) betrays & leaves him. He quits writing. He acts depressed & as if he feels worthless.

While Mort is super strung out, showing signs of falling apart emotionally, a weird Southern stranger, (John Shooter), claims that Mort has plagiarized one of his stories. Since Shooter seems like an ignorant buffoon, it's hard to imagine he can even spell let alone compose a publishable story. Shooter is way beyond the edge of deranged & attempts to drive Mort to the brink of insanity. Mort's wife is equally crazy-making as she, along with her adulterous lover, try their best to press Depp into an unwanted divorce to be finalized.

Rainey descends into insanity with such maneuvers that us into the darkest recesses of his character's mind. Like a Hitchcock film, King's focus is on the characters themselves, instead of his usual special spooky effects. Thus, this is a thriller with a totally surprise ending. A must see. Bring popcorn~

Academy Award® nominee Johnny Depp (2003 Best Actor Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) gives his most riveting performance in this action/suspense thriller featuring a top-notch cast including John Turturro Maria Bello Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton (1981 Best Supporting Actor Ordinary People) and Charles S. Dutton. Following a bitter separation from his wife (Bello) famed mystery writer Mort Rainey (Depp) is unexpectedly confronted at his remote lake house by a dangerous stranger named John Shooter (Turturro). Claiming Rainey has plagiarized his short story the psychotic Shooter demands justice. When Shooter's demands turn to threats - and then murder - Rainey turns to a private detective (Dutton) for help. But when nothing stops the horror from spiraling out of control Rainey soon discovers he can't trust anyone or anything. A shocking psychological thriller from the writer of Panic Room David Koepp.

Great Movie Johnny Depp is outstanding in this film a must see and a must to own......
{Mrs. puman}

Features Actors: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello & Charles Dutton
Running Time: 1 Hr. 36 Min.
Rating: PG-13

Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) is hardly the embodiment of glamour or success. Sure, he's a well-published author whose success gained him a home in the heart of a New England-style suburb, but now he's relegated to an increasingly disheveled retreat perched along the banks of Tashmore Lake. His divorce from the lovely Amy (Maria Bello, Coyote Ugly) was well founded—she was caught in bed with another man at a seedy roadside motel—but the broken union is severely impacting his writing, if a single, poorly-written paragraph qualifies as "writing." But a despondent heart and an extreme case of writer's block become the least of Rainey's troubles, thanks to a malevolent Mississippian, John Shooter (John Turturro, Anger Management), who rattles the author's world, not to mention his front door, and proclaims "you stol' ma' story." Seems Shooter had written a manuscript entitled "The Secret Window" and claims Rainey's recently published short story of the same name is a blatant word-for-word copy. "This has got to be settled," Shooter seethes. Suddenly, Rainey has become trapped in his own lakeside hideaway, Shooter seemingly always lurking nearby and growing dangerously violent, threatening not only Rainey but also his estranged wife and anyone else the hapless writer turns to for help. The worst, however, has yet to be revealed. Shooter has an even darker purpose that threatens to reveal a darker truth, one that would shatter Rainey's increasingly fragile existence.

Will keep you on the edge of your seat, and guessing what will happen next!Would recommend to rent or buy!Hope this helps you decide!Thanks for reading! :)

Mort Rainey, a writer just emerging from a painful divorce with his ex-wife, is stalked at his remote lake house by a psychotic stranger and would-be scribe who claims Rainey swiped his best story idea. But as Rainey endeavors to prove his innocence, he begins to question his own sanity. A suspenseful drama based on a Stephen King novella.

Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton

Depp goes to a new height of acting, armed with a realistic Stephen King thriller. It's apparent that Johnny Depp is probably the best actor of his generation. His range of characterizations is like a opera singer's range: smooth and far reaching. When I think of him playing Sam in "Benny and Joon," a Buster Keaton type of character, then my all time favorite pirate, in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, not to forget his stellar performance in "Sweeney Tood," then this frustrated novelist, it becomes clear that Depp's the man now.

Thank goodness too. Maybe his type of man will decenter and displace the machismo types like Mel Gibson (blek!). I would classify his performance in all of his films as equal too, if not better than, his senior Richard Gere. Good riddens to the macho male caricatures played by the likes of Heston (yuk), Clooney (yawn), and early Willis (hard dead)!

As for Stephen King's story, this and "Misery" are by far my favorites. I hope King continues to write more suspense and less far-fetched sci-fi material because those scripts draw the better actors to them (like Kathy Bates).