Secret Window

Columbia Pictures presents

Starring: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton

Directed by: David Koepp

Rating:****1/2

Plot: A short story writer finds out his wife is cheating on him and so he buys a cabin in a small rive town to be alone with his dog. His life never slows down since a man named Shooter arrives at his door claiming that he stole a story of his. This man who starts off to seem like a weird but harmless man slowly becomes a very dangerous stalker and as the story unfolds many twists and turns come and it shows that some windows should never be opened. I know that was sappy but it was fun!!!

Acting: Now everyone lately loves Johnny Depp because of Pirates of the Caribbean but he has been great in many films through his career. This movie is basically all Depp with many scenes of him sitting around trying to write. Now this movie could have been horribly boring but Johnny Depp makes it interesting with his acting talent which is not only expressed verbally but with his body motions. The character evolves quickly through the film and Depp flows with it with ease. He is the new age actor of are time and hopefully this and Pirates will place him in bigger roles in the future. The rest of cast works very well. John Tuturro plays Shooter a scary stalker who thinks his story was stolen. When I saw the trailer for this film I really thought he looked out of place as a bad guy since he is a stand up comedian, or at least I think he is. On screen though he is scary as hell I would never like to run into Shooter myself. Depp and Tuturro actually play off of each other very well and the scenes with them facing off are most memorable. Maria Bello plays Depp's soon to be ex-wife who he can't stop obsessing about. Bello is a character actor who you most likely have seen in various other films, lately she was in The Cooler. She does what she can with the role since it is limited to only a couple of scenes. Hutton plays Bello's new husband and he does not have a very great relationship with Depp's character. The scenes in which these two characters face off are funny and very well timed and have truth to what real people in that sictuation would do. So all around one great cast.

Directing/Writing: Not many Stephen King novels have been adapted into great films. This is a rare thing then. I never read Secret Window but I can tell you this movie is good. The pace may be different then most audiences will be ready for. Other reviews would claim this movie as slow. This is because they are idiots, simple as that. The movie has very well placed and timed set up for an amazing ending that caught me off guard. The film is one of the better thrillers I've seen in years. The only thing that is lacking in the film is the main connection between Depp and Bello's character we understand they have had trouble but were also deeply in love. We only get one scene that really shows this and I personally would have enjoyed some more character set up between them would have been nice. The greatness of the film was how it kept you on the edge of your seat Shooter is a great character since he was real scary mother fucker. One scene in which we believe Shooter is hiding in Depp's house is real white knuckle action where Depp searches the house preparing for a fight, I got goose bumps in that scene. I just love to see movies that don't use stupid plot twists or massive action to move a film along this used reality and great acting to do that instead.

Overall: This movie may not be for everyone but I really did enjoy it. If anything Secret Window proves the Johnny Depp is one great actor who seriously needs to be recognized one day. (Hint hint Oscars )