Depp Adds Magnetism to Stephen King Thriller

March 12 -- Now in theaters: Open Window, Spartan and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London.

Secret WindowJohnny Depp is a mystery writer and mysterious things happen to him in Secret Window.

One word of advice: Don't grow too attached to the characters you meet along the way, because most of them won't be around at the end. You have no idea how much I want to say, but I wouldn't want to ruin it. This is one of the best films ever of a Stephen King thriller and Johnny Depp is why.

Stephen King always works better in print than on film because movies are about people and King's characters are devices to make the stories work. But Depp is just an amazing actor. You can't take your eyes off him, even when the suspense builds, and horrible things are going to happen, and you don't want to look. But you will. Grade: B. Spartan

We're half an hour into Spartan before we find out who the victim is. An hour in before we find out what the crime is. And every second on the edge of our seats.

This paranoid political thriller features Val Kilmer as a Secret Service agent who runs a black bag centerpiece so devious and complex only ace writer David Mamet could dream it up. His script is so good he even fooled me … into believing Val Kilmer could act.

Kilmer could use the Atkins diet. Not to lose weight — to get the starch out so he could loosen up. Val Kilmer makes medical history, the only person to develop rigor mortis while he's still alive. Spartan succeeds in spite of him: Grade: B+.