, some of King's books haven't translated well to the big screen because of the depth of descriptive detail they contained. When a single picture can convey a thousand words, that were used to create a spellbinding backdrop, the impact of various developments in the plot are lessened by the immediacy of the visual presentation.
Secret Window doesn't suffer from this condensation phenomenon because its based on one of King's short stories. Therein lies the rub. What makes for a good short story doesn't always make for a good full-length feature film.
Secret Window is King's literary contemplation of the notion that writers of gruesome fantasies must be somewhat deviant to begin with. The story revolves around a single character, author Mort Rainey (Depp), whose creative muse may not be so benign. Rainey's mental stability is written in a literary shorthand that assumes the truth of the proposition. The result is that there is little or no need to explore the psychological precursors of such creative deviance. The story suffers because of the lack of a closer examination of its own premise. What you do is not as interesting as why you do it. That being said, Secret Window is an interesting take on the subject.
Johnny Depp turns in another fine performance but his talent is somewhat wasted. This role is not as meaty as his other recent performances in Pirates of the Caribbean or Once Upon A Time In Mexico. Turturro, as a malevolent hick with a literary flair, steals every scene he's in.
If your a fan of Stephen King and Johnny Depp you will not be disappointed by Secret Window. If you not a fan of either then its up to you to decide whether this is a Secret Window worth looking through.
Running time - 106 minutes
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Secret Window Official Web Site
