“Secret Window” (2004) [PG-13]

     “Secret Window” was made when Johnny Depp was making his big appearance into fame through the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, and it is just another film through which he has shown the world how good an actor he is. His performance in this feature wasn’t the only entertaining one, John Turturro also proved once again that he can pull the audience into the character. Other factors for which this film is very notable is its soundtrack, the orchestral music placed behind the cinema sucks the audience into every suspenseful moment. This show is a great paranoia horror story, it plays with the viewer’s senses. It is one of many movies that have been made out of one of Stephen King’s stories; sadly, this one isn’t much like King’s story at all.

     The creators of “Secret Window” couldn’t have picked any better actors for the roles of the protagonist, Mort Rainey, and his nemesis, John Shooter. Johnny Depp was making his comeback to fame about the time he starred in this film. He shows that he can rise to the occasion of being able to play any role and do it well. John Turturro acts as the antagonist, John Shooter, and verifies as he always has that he can pull the audience into the moment whenever he appears on the scene. Purely believable, Turturro has never been better that he was in “Secret Window.” However, it’s not actor’s portrayal of characters alone that makes for an entertaining film.

     The soundtrack for this movie is just one more thing that will take hold of the audience. In the most suspenseful scenes the music will draw viewers in and can scare them just as much as what’s going on in the story. Character’s action will scare the audience, but the without the soundtrack, none of the suspense gets built up nearly as well. There are many movies which would be nothing without their music. This film isn’t one of them, but its quality is increased greatly just by adding the suspenseful orchestra in the scenes.

     “Secret Window” is a tale of extreme paranoid horror, and the cinema version of the story somewhat does justice to it. The suspense builds behind every turn and during every moment of the movie. It’s one of the few pictures that can truly scare the viewers, instead of just grossing them out. As good as this flick is, it has one flaw. It is one of many that have been based on a Stephen King fiction, but sadly it is not very much like the original tale. There are many differences between King’s short story and the 2004 enactment. Reading the short story version gives more satisfaction than watching the movie.

          My overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Once Upon A Time in Mexico” (2003) [R]

     2003 was a decent year for the cinema industry, with the finishing of the “Lord of the Rings” and the beginning of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. At the top of the list of the best movies of 2003 is the Robert Rodriguez film “Once Upon A Time in Mexico.” It is the conclusion to his “El Mariachi” trilogy starring Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Mickey Rourke. Each of these actors gave incredible performances, although Depp almost steals the show with his witty character. It is almost too obviously a tribute to Sergio Leone’s “Man with no name” trilogy, and does a very good job of being a sort of hats-off to Leone’s trilogy. The script was incredible and clever with coatings of dark humor. If there’s any reason not to watch this show, it would be that there are a few scenes that are not for the queasy types.
     This movie couldn’t go wrong with the major cast that it had. Antonio Banderas returns as the “el mariachi” character and shows that he will never tire of the role. Dafoe and Rourke also give amazing enactments as the greedy and murderous villains. However, Johnny Depp nearly steals the spotlight as the entertaining character. He plays an F.B.I. agent whose debut to the trilogy is this final installment. His performance as the agent is possibly one of his best yet and will forever stay near the top of that list. It’s not by actor’s roles alone, however, that makes this film an exciting one.

     In the sixties Sergio Leone released a trilogy of westerns known to many as the “Man with no name” trilogy which features Clint Eastwood. The third in that trilogy is entitled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” and it was a turning point for spaghetti westerns throughout the world. Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” trilogy is clearly his tribute to Leone’s own trilogy, and “Once Upon A Time in Mexico” is the most interesting one from Rodriguez. His trilogy is much like Leone’s because it too is very western style, and it features actors who can easily portray the “tough-guy” act. Another similarity between the two trilogies is that each installment doesn’t really have much to do with their sibling installments; each one is its own movie, and they do well on individually.

     As I always say, one of the most important things to look for in a movie is how well the script is written, and this one is incredible. Full of clever and dark humor, it could almost be read as a story by itself. There are several ingenious gadgets which belong to Depp’s agent character, and he makes devastating and slightly comical use of each of his gadgets. The dialogue and action competes well with many top-of-the-line productions, and the story itself is almost a tragic sort of action tale. The tragedy and suspense hides around every corner of what might be Rodriquez’s best movie to date. There is, although, one thing about this picture that may lessen the number of its audience. A few gruesome scenes in the film are not recommended for queasy movie-goers.  Those scenes aren’t necessary to the story and can be avoided by watching the edited-for-television version if all else fails.

          My overall rating: 4 out of 5