The Box
Two Richards- “Donnie Darko” director Kelly & “I Am Legend” author Matheson- collide in this intriguing thriller.
The first thing one notices, however, is the accents. In a thick, almost characatured, Southern drawl, Cameron Diaz & James Marsden are a mid-30s married couple in 1976 who are woken up at 5:45am by a doorbell ringing. Diaz’s Norma goes to investigate, and finds a package outside the front door. They open it, and find an odd-looking box, and a note stating that a Mr. Steward (a creepy Frank Langella) will come by at 5pm.
Yeah, I don’t know how I’d feel about that either. Unfortunately, circumstances at both Norma’s & Arthur’s careers dictate they consider his unseemly proposition. If they accept, they get a million dollars cash. But they have to push the button. When they do that, someone the don’t know will die.
The film presents one intriguing moral puzzle after another, as their decision presents unbelievable consequences to their family. Kelly holds a cold and unnerving tone throughout the film, reminiscent of the works of Kubrick and the director’s own cult hit “Donnie Darko.” The performances by Diaz and Marsden (as well as the cinematography and music) neatly emphasize the anxiety and regret in their decision- these are good people thrown into a situation bigger than themselves.
Maybe a bit too big. I couldn’t help but think shortly after watching it that the story perhaps jumped the shark in making the scenario a larger conspiracy than merely making it a “Duel”-like “what if” scenario (Matheson also wrote the story for Steven Spielberg’s classic TV movie). However, thinking further about it, it’s a bold touch worthy of comparisons to “The Manchurian Candidate” in what it says about our government and what it’s capable of. If you’d asked me whether I expected that from Kelly after the self-indulgent disaster that was “Southland Tales,” I would’ve suggested that you were crazy. But like another filmmaker I sometimes reluctantly admire (Paul Thomas Anderson), Kelly works best on smaller canvas’, where he can really explore the psychology of his characters. I can’t wait to see where he takes us next.
