Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Depp gives the X-Factor to Secret Window, 11 Aug 2004
It is rare that you see a film adaption which is so similar to the novel it is based on. I'll say that for Secret Window- it is very true to the book. This is a good thing- it is really frustrating when you are a fan of a novel and then it is completely changed when a film is made of it.
Johnny Depp, with his usual quirkiness, is perfectly cast as Mort Rainey. If another actor had had the part and not carried it off, it would have been an awful film. Mort's character is well defined and likeable. Although he is very much the central character and there are not that many other characters, and most of the film takes place in his house, the story does not get boring, drag, or feel unvaried. There is enough suspense and scary bits in the movie to keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting to know what happens to Mort in the end.
There are elements to the storyline that perhaps lack originality (for example, Mort conveniently is staying alone in a house in the middle of nowhere), although if you like soft horror/psychological drama films then you will enjoy this. It is not revolutionary- it is simply an entertaining film.
In response to what the other reviewer has written, I think a 12 rating was OK for this movie. It is not as frightening as some other cert 12 films I have watched (The Others, for example, scared me to death the first time I watched it. And I'm 18).
The reason I gave the film 4 stars instead of 5, was because of the twist in the ending. I think the concept of the twist was a good idea, although the way it was done I was not entirely happy with. I felt it was a little too over-the-top in the way it was portayed and perhaps a little left to the imagination would have been better. (This is hard to describe without giving away what happens- but if you watch it you'll see what I mean).
Nevertheless, the rest of the film is great, I will be buying it when it is released, and I would recommend it, especially to other fans of Johnny Depp (who is gorgeous in this movie, incidentally). If you liked Secret Window then I also recommend you read the novella by Stephen King. It is included in "Four Past Midnight".
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Secret Hit!, 4 Aug 2004
This film tests your imagination to the limit, using special effects and a twisted story line you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat all the way through.
Johnny Depp plays the leading role as Mort Rainy and successfully captures your heart instantly as you see his slowly shattering life. However as your bond with this character grows, dislike for another begins - John Shooter. This actor plays an excellent psychopath pushing your hatred towards him all the way until the Earth shaking twist at the end leaving you thoroughly confused as to who you like, and petrified as you leave the cinema.
My only quiery for this film is its rating. I feel sorry for the twelve year olds watching it and I hope that they have had a decent nights sleep afterwards! One more piece of advice is to think carefully about watching it if you are fond of dogs.
Overall this film is stunning with its shocking twists and turns and excellent acting - this will be a first on my Christmas list.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Johnny Depp and David Koepp tackle Stephen King, 25 Jun 2004
I know that I read "Secret Window, Secret Garden," the Stephen King novella that was the basis for David Koepp's 2004 film, but I had no conscious memory of the story when I sat down to watch the movie. But either I remembered something deep down inside or it was a mistake to cast Timothy Hutton, who starred in movie version of King's "The Dark Half," in a supporting role in this film because I quickly got to the point where I was wondering if I was reading the film wrong simply because it seemed so obvious to me what was going on. The main attraction here is Johnny Depp, because he is one actor who can be counted on never to do anything boring and whose flair for eccentricity and his devotion to odd roles is now being taken as a sign of genius. Depp plays Mort Rainey, a writer who is out in the woods in a cabin, starring at a poorly written opening paragraph that is not getting any better. It soon becomes clear that his writer's block is the result of the fact he is in divorcing proceedings with his wife, Amy (Maria Bello); the opening scene of the film shows us the heart of that trauma. Struggling to deal with these twin demons Rainey is confronted by the sudden appearance of John Shooter (John Turturro), a forbidding looking figure who accuses the writer of plagiarizing a story and demands he put things to rights. Mort is conflicted about his marriage and has no idea what to do with the blank sheet of paper in his typewriter. He wants to be definite about having written the story "Secret Window," but apparently in his deep dark past he plagiarized a story once and given the state he was in when he wrote the story, there just might be something about Shooter's claim. Clearly Mort is at a crossroads where his future could well be in peril (Come on, this is a Stephen King story; this guy is toast). Depp's performance is captivating. It has to be, because he has a lot of scenes where it is just him and his blind dog or the mirror on the wall. But do not neglect the work of screenwriter-director Koepp ("Panic Room"), which you are not really going to be able to appreciate until the second time you watch "Secret Window" (in between watch the featurettes where the director give some key insights into what he was trying to do with the film). I would probably have liked this film more if I had gotten so far ahead of the curve, but I am still impressed with the craftsmanship of the lead actor and the director
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