The most important part of a story is the ending.|Mar. 12, 2004|United States|96 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Mystery;Thriller
Description: **Secret Window (2004)**
After discovering his wife Amy’s affair with their friend Ted, Mort Rainey, a mystery writer, isolates himself in his cabin at Tashmore Lake in upstate New York. Meanwhile, Amy remains in their marital home. Six months later, Mort struggles with depression and writer’s block while delaying their divorce.
One day, a man named John Shooter from Mississippi arrives at the cabin, accusing Mort of plagiarizing his short story, *Sowing Season*. Mort reads Shooter’s manuscript and finds it nearly identical to his own story, *Secret Window*, except for the ending. Mort, who had previously plagiarized another author’s work, later tells Shooter his story was published two years before Shooter’s, invalidating the plagiarism claim. However, Shooter demands proof and warns Mort not to contact the police.
That night, Mort’s dog is found dead outside the cabin, accompanied by a threatening note from Shooter, giving Mort three days to provide evidence. Mort reports the incident to the local sheriff.
Mort attempts to retrieve a copy of the magazine from his and Amy’s house but leaves upon finding Ted and Amy there. He hires private investigator Ken Karsch, who questions a local resident, Tom Greenleaf, who may have witnessed Mort and Shooter together. At the cabin, Shooter demands Mort rewrite the ending of his story to match Shooter’s version, where the protagonist kills his wife.
When an arson fire destroys Mort and Amy’s house and the magazine, Mort informs the police about his enemy. Karsch suspects Shooter has intimidated Greenleaf, who now denies seeing Mort and Shooter together. Mort and Karsch plan to confront Shooter, starting with a meeting with Greenleaf at a local diner the next morning.
Cast director: David Koepp
Cast actor: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton, Len Cariou, Joan Heney, John Dunn-Hill, Vlasta Vrána, Matt Holland
Original name: Secret Window