Secret Window (2004)

Written by John Chard on March 20, 2015

You strike me as the kind of guy who's on the lookout for a head he can knock off with a shovel.

It's actually a film that shows both the good and bad sides of Johnny Depp and Stephen King adaptations to film form.

Depp plays a writer who whilst going through a divorce and living out in the country in isolation, is suddenly menaced by John Turturo, who claims he is the victim of plagiarism perpetrated by Depp. Mysteries and murky shenanigans to follow...

That the film, in spite of its flimsy heart, is watchable, is down to the two stars, both are filing in for eccentricities and spooky menace respectively. Yet it's a bit of a one trick pony and difficult to take seriously, while it's also surprisingly bloodless, negating the interest of the potential Stephen King blood-lust crowd. The reveal is something of a cheat given what has gone before, belief of suspension is so stretched to breaking point, you literally should be wondering just what all other characters were doing in the film?!

Still, Johnny and John, resplendent with weird hats and hairdo's, give good camera time and save David Koepp's movie from stinker damnation. 6/10