Film Analysis

 Paper for English Drama

Film Analysis: Secret Window by David Koepp

From a Novel by Stephen King

Submitted by: Risca Nur Kafidah

Film Details

Released Date: March 12, 2004

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Director: David Koepp

Starring: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton

Running Time: 96 minutes

Synopsis

Secret Window is a psychological thriller directed by David Koepp, starring Johnny Depp as Morton Rainey, a well-known author, who lives in a cabin, alone, after separating from his wife, Amy, who cheats on him. Mort catches his wife, in a motel room with a guy named Ted Milner. Mort moves to his cabin in Tashmore Lake because of his depression. Another problem comes. There, a tall man with the wide-brimmed black hat named John Shooter, speaks with a Mississippi accent, accuses him of plagiarizing his story “Sowing Season”. Mort knows he did not do such thing but Shooter is an angry and violent man. Mort lets him go once, he does not care about that, even throws the manuscript Shooter brings to him. Mort spends a lot of time sleeping on the same couch, and has possibly been wearing the same ratty bathrobe. However, he ends up reading the manuscript after the lady who does cleaning in his house takes it back to the table. He discovers its resemblance to his own story “Secret Window”, except for the ending.

            Mort meets Shooter in the path by the lake accidently. He explains that his story is published earlier than Shooter’s. Shooter does not believe him unless he brings the proof. Mort should bring the magazine with his story inside. When the night comes, Mort finds menacing paper and his dead dog. He reports to Sheriff Dave Newsome, who reacts with little enthusiasm. Mort drives to his house in Riverdale to ask Amy about the magazine, but he leaves after seeing Amy and Ted. He calls Ken Karsch, a personal investigator, for help. He agrees to help and talk to Tom Greenleaf, an old resident who might see Shooter and Mort talking each other.

            Shooter visits Mort at the cabin after Ken leaves at night. He wants Mort to fix the ending where the protagonist kills his wife. The conversation turns into argument. He attacks and chokes Mort. In the next morning, Amy calls Mort saying their house was burnt down. Mort travels to Riverdale and meets police officer. They – Amy, Mort, and Ted, go to the insurance office where Mort and Ted argue. Ken calls Mort and tells him that Tom denies seeing Mort the other day. Ken suspects that Tom was threatened by Shooter. It seems someone might have hired Shooter to intimidate Mort. It is Ted who comes out from Mort’s mind. They make an appointment to meet Tom at the Bowie’s Store at nine.

            The next morning, Mort oversleeps. He hurries to the store and finds neither Tom nor Ken. Mort drives home and sees Ted at the gas station. Mort approaches him, asking about Shooter but Ted has no clue about it. Ted gives the divorce paper to Mort. It has to be signed. They have a confrontation that causes Ted breaks his hand.

            Mort’s phone rings. It is Shooter who wants to meet him in the place they met before. Mort goes there but surprisingly finds Ken and Tom dead inside Tom’s car. He faints. When he wakes up, Shooter is there. Mort is scared to death, wanting to run away. Shooter says they were killed by Mort’s screwdriver and axe. It makes Mort stop and starts talking to him. Mort says he has the magazine and Shooter agrees to meet him at the cabin. Mort covers up the crime by running Tom’s car into a water-filled stone quarry. Unfortunately, his wristwatch is left inside. Mort is depressed. Amy calls and tells she will come and get him to sign the divorce paper. Leaving the house, Mort goes to the post office to pick up the magazine with his story sent by his literary agent. To his surprise, he finds the package already opened and his story is cut out. Back at his cabin, Mort sees Shooter’s hat. He wears the hat and begins speaking to himself. He is confused and disoriented. Meanwhile the other Mort Rainey tries to make sense of the events. Eventually, Mort realizes that Shooter is not real. He is just Mort’s imagination, brought to life through Mort’s dissociative identity disorder. Mort recalls his memory. When Mort slept, “Shooter” took over and killed Chico, Tom, and Ken and burned down Amy’s house. Even so, Shooter does not exist. It was him, Mort Rainey. He knows what to do then. “Mort Rainey” should fix the ending of the story.

            Amy arrives at the cabin, looking for Mort but ends up seeing the word “SHOOTER” written everywhere. Amy is scared when Mort appears behind the door. She realizes the name “SHOOTER” represents Mort’s desire to “SHOOT HER”. Mort talks to Amy with Shooter’s accent, chases her and stabs her with the same screwdriver he used to kill Chico and Tom. Unfortunately, Ted arrives because he is concerned about Amy’s safety. Mort ambushes him by the shovel. Amy watches Mort kills her lover. Mort turns his back. He kills Amy while reciting the ending of “Sowing Season”, the ending “Shooter” wants to be written.

            Some months later, Mort recovers from his stress and his mood is better, but now he is the town pariah. Sheriffs Newsome comes to his cabin to tells him that he is the suspect of Amy and Ted’s disappearance and probably Tom and Ken too. Mort does not care at all because he finds the perfect ending for the story. He is happy now. There is a secret window that overlooks a secret garden which becomes a cornfield. He recites his perfect ending as it is implied that the bodies are buried in the garden, and no one will find them.

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