The Box
Directed by Richard Kelly
Warner Bros, 2009
By Sean Kelly (no relation)
It would be a bit of an understatement to say that Richard Kelly has had a bit of a bumpy ride on the road to making his first major studio film. His first film Donnie Darko had a nearly non-existent theatrical release (it probably didn’t help that the film was released about a month after 9/11 and involved a plane engine falling onto a house). However, the film went on to become one of the first cult hits of the decade, and my personal favourite, and I wasn’t alone in looking forward to a follow-up.
The follow-up didn’t come fast enough. For the longest time Kelly was set to write and direct last year’s Knowing as his second film, before it moved to Alex Proyas. After five years (and taking a screenwriting job for 2005’s Domino), Kelly finally returned with his second film Southland Tales. The general consensus is that Southland marked a sophomore slump for Kelly, though I dug the film.
That brings us now to The Box, which is based on the short story Button, Button – previously adapted in 1985 as an episode of The Twilight Zone. The story takes place during the holidays of 1976 and involves a financially-troubled couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) who receive a mysterious box with a red button. A horrendously disfigured stranger (Frank Langella) shows up the next day and gives them an offer: push the button and someone they don’t know will die, though they will receive a payment of $1,000,000 for their efforts. The whole button-pushing scenario is just the tip of the iceberg in this thriller where the box is part of an elaborate social experiment about the nature of consequence.
The Box succeeded as an intriguing mortality tale. It was definitely an old-school thriller in every sense of the word.The film moves a bit towards science fiction in the third act and I am sure that the plot elements that are revealed here may confuse the casual moviegoer, especially if they are not familiar with Richard Kelly’s work.
I also enjoyed the cinematography in this film, which had a faded colour scheme, giving the impression that this film was made in the 1970s, when the story is set. Also, there were adept visual touches within the film that will ring bells for anyone who has seen Kelly’s previous work. This is especially true later in the film, when we find that the story takes place in a similar science fiction universe to that of Donnie Darko.
In the end, I have to say I thought The Box was an enjoyable film. It’s also safer than Richard Kelly’s previous film, though I am sure that it will still divide the audience just as much. If you like a Hitchcockian thriller with a sci-fi touch, this is just the film for you.
I should really proofread my reviews better. Richard Kelly took a screenwriting job for Domino, not screening.
Whoops. Tidied up the Zombieland slip, too. Ah, the Internet.