Since it was adapted from a Stephen King story, I suppose it had to be an in-your-face horror film -- that was the selling point -- but it's a real shame no one had the guts to ditch the tired psycho stuff, since the material (divorced writer, still angry at his ex, who's getting remarried) was juicy enough as is, especially with Johnny Depp's lived-in performance and good dialogue from Koepp ("You okay? You look pale." "Yeah, thanks."), assuming that Depp isn't improvising a lot of it . Pretty obvious from the dead dog where this one is going; it has to go there, otherwise, dramatically, it doesn't make a lick of sense. (I'd beat the living fucking shit out of anyone who so much as laid a finger on my pet.) So it's pretty much an exercise in waiting for no beer and no TV to make Johnny something something... but damn if Depp doesn't do everything in his power to make the wait as painless as possible. He's always giving us something to watch: cracking his jaw, swatting at flies, hiding cigarette smoke. This performance is almost as good as the one in Pirates -- some, I suspect, might even say better, since it's less showy and more about minute gestures that reveal the character's hidden rage. Also, gets points for accurately detailing the life of a blocked-up writer (sleeping on the couch, consuming copious amounts of Doritos and Mountain Dew, talking to oneself). A shame, then, that even with a plot this dumb, the ending (with the Sheriff) goes the extra mile for stupidity.
Where we saw it: dvd | We deign to rate it: outta 100Most enjoyable straightforward thriller of the year, I’d say. Not only a great performance by Depp and fine dialogue, like you mentioned, but also solid direction. With ‘Stir of Echoes’ and ‘Secret Window’, Koepp’s getting good behind the camera. Unfortunately not even a fan, like me, can justify the ending. It’s stupid and damages the film, but doesn’t ruin it. The build up was great, and the unoriginal elements nuanced. I’m not sure if it would stand up well to a repeat viewing, but the first time was a pleasant surprise. Now all Koepp needs to so is save his better scripts for himself.
Posted by: Quack Corleone at December 20, 2004 12:48 PMHey Quack! Thanks for posting.
I'm not quite as sold on the direction of SECRET WINDOW as you are -- especially since, in the deleted scene section, the last shot under the corn actually went *longer* and *showed* the dead bodies, which I can understand if his intended audience are drunk people who stumbled into the theater halfway through, but if not... ugh. Admittedly, it got cut, someone's cooler head prevailed, and maybe it was just there to satisfy some dumb-as-a-rock suit, but the fact that it was shot really bugs me. But STIR OF ECHOES certainly showed he's got something, and he seems to work well with actors (I remember Kevin Bacon being good in STIR). At the very least, he's infinitely better than Kerry Conran, but perhaps that goes without saying.
Posted by: kza at December 20, 2004 02:08 PM...he's infinitely better than Kerry Conran...
Have you heard that Conran is directing JOHN CARTER OF MARS? Also, you're dead-on regarding SECRET WINDOW. I saw the "twist" coming very early on and after that there wasn't much to do except watch Johnny Depp eat Doritos and act weird.
Posted by: Scott at December 20, 2004 06:04 PMHeh... I wouldn't go as far as saying that Depp's work here beats his one-of-a-kind turn in "Pirates", if only because he couldn't do with "Window" what he did with that previous film -- turn into something entertaining. He was still awesome here, though. Shame about the rest of it.
Posted by: Steve at December 20, 2004 06:40 PMScott: Luckily, I've never read E.R. Burroughs' classic (or is it "classic"?), so Conran's welcome to fuck it up six ways from Sunday if he wants. Are you familiar with it?
Steve: So would Depp have made your 2003 Personal Oscar shortlist?
Posted by: kza at December 20, 2004 07:00 PMRead it as a kid. Can't say I remember a bit of it now. Have to admit that I'll probably check out CAP'N SKY when it's released on DVD at the end of January.
Posted by: Scott at December 20, 2004 07:41 PMAs a matter of fact, he did.
Posted by: Steve at December 21, 2004 07:34 PM