Secret Window

Once again, Stephen King does a horrific study on a conflicted writer, and this time it feels like old hat. Johhny Depp stars as Mort Rainey, a reclusive author going through a divorce and dealing with a mysterious stalker (John Turturro with an over-the-top Southern accent). The stalker is named Shooter, and he claims that Rainey stole his story. Rainey insists the stalker man is full of crap, and what eventually ensues is not as clever as King and director David Koepp would like you to believe. Depp offers his usual greatness as the confused Rainey, giving us something far more interesting than the story surrounding him. Turturro’s performance is over-baked, his characterization a total giveaway even before the film’s “big twist.” Maria Bello is OK as Rainey’s wife, but it was a mistake to cast Timothy Hutton, star of another bad King story about a conflicted author, The Dark Half.