10 out of 10
 

"Secret Window" is an epic tale of the life of a short-story book writer: a comparison between sitting at a PC monitor screen, staring at a few lines, writing nothing and eventually deleting all...back to bed...sleep...lazy life continues - what we all suspected all along - life of a short-story writer.

A maid, hired to clean-up, is introduced and finds a script in the trash, but he insists that honestly it’s not his work. The two main characters centre on the writer and an unknown man who arrives from Mississippi, accusing the writer of stealing his story...plagiarism, the death of a writer. The soon-to-be-ex-wife learns of his problems. “You didn’t steal another story, did you?" Mr X from Mississippi kills the writer’s dog in a gruesome fashion, shocking the audience, leaving one person screaming. The writer, spooked out, goes to the Sheriff, who basically ignores the problem. The writer hires a private eye for protection (costing $500 a day in fees). The harrassment of the writer escalates. Harrassment become arson and murder. The plot thickens beween the writer, his ex-wife who is involved with another man (Ted), and conflict between all follows. Throw in a pending divorce case and you become engrossed, involved and at one with the story being told within a story.

Reality is in the eyes of the viewer. Everything clicks and the story unfolds. A complex series of individuals are introduced one by one. Events take place with intrigue, suspense and fine acting across the board. Characters interacted, plausible events took place. You become drawn into the movie - a first for me.

My opinion is that “Secret Window" will become one of the, if not The Best Picture of 2004. Overall I firmly believe that it’s money well spent. Don’t believe me? Well, go see it yourself!