Secret Window (Blu-ray) (2004)

"A potent psychological thriller bolstered...strong performances...  Claudia Puig, USA Today
"Depp gives a smart, subtle performance, and Turturro is terrific...fresh and surprising.  David Sterrit, Christian Science Monitor
"...a taught, entertaining motion picture...  James Berardinelli's ReelViews
"...an eerie, playful thriller and an all-around entertaining time...  Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"Bloody, bone-chilling fun.  Steven Rae, Philadelphia Inquirer

Editor's Note Based on a Stephen King novella, the psychological thriller SECRET WINDOW is reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock film. Eccentric author Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) finds his life spiraling out of control. With a drinking problem and a cigarette habit he can't shake, Mort can barely function when his wife (Maria Bello) leaves him and he abandons his work. In the midst of his anguish, a deranged man, John Shooter, (John Turturro) appears at Mort's New York cabin, claiming that Mort has plagiarized one of his stories. As his wife pushes Mort to finalize their divorce and Shooter systematically destroys his life, he struggles to restore order to an increasingly insane situation. Playing off of Turturro who is superb as the crazed, Gothic Shooter, Johnny Depp shines in his role with a quirky, brilliant performance. The mannerisms he brings to Mort, such as a problem with a clenched jaw, makes the author's descent into madness compelling and believable. With an emphasis on character study over special effects, the chills provided by this film rely on skilled acting and evoke thrillers of earlier generations like PSYCHO and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, including a shocking twist of an ending.

	Charles S. Dutton
	Elizabeth Marleau
	Joan Heney
	John Turturro
	Johnny Depp
	Len Cariou
	Maria Bello
	Timothy Hutton
	David Koepp - Director
	David Koepp - Screenplay
	Ezra Swerdlow - Executive Producer
	Fred Murphy - Cinematographer
	Gavin Polone - Producer
	Geoff Zanelli - Original Music By
	Gilles Aird - Art Director
	Jill Savitt - Editor
	Philip Glass - Original Music By
	Stephen King - Based On Novella By

Entertainment Weekly
"[A]mid all the free-form playfulness, with each actor invited to bring his or her own covered dish of a character interpretation to the party, Depp appears to have his own private ball." 03/19/2004 p.44-5

USA Today
"SECRET WINDOW is a potent psychological thriller bolstered by strong performances and an offbeat sense of humor." 03/19/2004 p.8E

Box Office
"[Depp] provides another one of those quirky, slightly loony performances..." 05/01/2004 p.32

Uncut
"Highly entertaining Stephen King adaptation, stylishly directed..." 11/01/2004 p.160

ReelViews 8 of 10
Movies based on a previously published story of prolific writer Stephen King have varied across the quality spectrum, from the unwatchable (Children of the Corn, Maximum Overdrive) to the excellent (Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption). Secret Window, adapted by writer/director David Koepp (Stir of Echoes), falls somewhere in between, albeit closer to the latter than the former. Secret Window is more thriller than horror, and will probably resonate most strongly with those who appreciate the mental gymnastics encouraged by the likes of Identity and The Fight Club...The film's strength is one of perspective. It's difficult for a motion picture to effectively employ the technique of the "unreliable narrator" (this is much easier to accomplish in writing), but Koepp overcomes the obstacles with seeming ease. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
The movie stars Johnny Depp in another of those performances where he brings a musing eccentricity to an otherwise straightforward role. He plays Mort Rainey, a best-selling novelist of crime stories; like the hero of "Misery," he reminds us that the original story is by Stephen King. The computer on his desk in the loft contains one paragraph of a new story, until he deletes it. He spends a lot of time sleeping, and has possibly been wearing the same ratty bathrobe for months. His hair seems to have been combed with an eggbeater, but of course with Johnny Depp you never know if that's the character or the actor...All of this could add up to a straight-faced thriller about things that go boo in the night, but Johnny Depp and director David Koepp (who wrote "Panic Room" and directed "Stir of Echoes") have too much style to let that happen. - Roger Ebert