AT THE MOVIES WITH KASEY BUTCHER
After the drama and buzz surrounding The Passion over the past few weeks, I was looking forward to “a return to normalcy” so to speak. Secret Window, however, was not exactly the outlet that I was looking for.
The movie based upon the novella “Secret Window, Secret Garden” by Stephen King (normalcy?) and starring Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) tells the story of Mort Rainey, a writer with teetering sanity who lives in a cabin in the woods after separating from his unfaithful wife. One day, one of Rainey’s many naps is interrupted by a stranger who comes to accuse him of plagiarism. This does not bother him nearly so much as the fact that even after he proves to the stranger, John Shooter (John Turturro, Anger Management), that he did not steal the story, the man does not leave him alone. He kills Rainey’s dog, burns down one of his houses, and starts killing neighbors. It is not until Shooter begins to threaten Rainey’s soon to be ex-wife that the writer begins to wonder if the whole thing may be only in his mind.
Secret Window has two key factors for commercial success: Johnny Depp and Stephen King. There is no doubt in my mind that this contributed to the 19 million dollars it made in its opening weekend. I also firmly believe that there is a reason for this. Depp is one of the great and strangely gifted actors of our time. I always enjoy his performances. He brings immense subtlety to his characters’ emotions, yet without him showing much expression I always know what he is feeling. Stephen King is one of the great storytellers of our time. Many of his books and the movies based on them will likely become classics or at least cult classics.
The result of the Depp/King combination in this case was a movie that left me re-thinking the details and impressed by Depp’s acting once again. The movie is so quickly paced that my mind had no time to wander and when the surprise ending hit I had all the details necessary to make sense of it right at hand.
The scenery and camera angles in this movie also play a large part in the overall effect. The movie is twice as scary because it takes place in the middle of the woods, where no one is close enough to really help Rainey if he needs them. Shots are also made through mirrors or a window which adds intensity that seeing things in plain sight does not have.
The movie is reminiscent of Identity but I don’t think that Secret Window is as well done. While the details do support the end, there wasn’t as much support nor as big a surprise. I feel that the ending, while good and somewhat satisfying, could have been better written. Because of this, I give the movie a four out of five.
Overall, Secret Window is a thrilling and strange movie that features an interesting plot and talented acting.
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