Secret Window *** (2004, Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro) – Classic Movie Review 1627

Writer-director David Koepp’s erratically amusing 2004 thriller has the right star in Johnny Depp, who puts a gloss of polish on Stephen King’s chiller as Mort Rainey, an author afflicted by a bad hairstyle, writer’s block and a messy divorce.

Just when things seem bad enough, then creepy writer John Shooter (played by John Turturro) turns up at Depp’s lakeside home and starts terrorising him after claiming he’s lifted one of his stories. In the Depps of despair, Johnny hires private eye Ken Karsch (Charles S Dutton) to help him out and then the ex-wife Amy (Maria Bello) and her new boyfriend Ted (Timothy Hutton) turn up like bad pennies to torment him further.

Based on King’s novel Secret Window, Secret Garden, the tale is properly chilling at the start, as Depp’s dog is the first to die. But then it just gets dafter and dafter, as the star’s hair goes haywire along with the script.

However Depp is a class act, giving a masterclass in hair acting, and, along with the other stalwart actors, makes it all seem much, much better and more entertaining than it really is.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1627

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