The Box

For the most part THE BOX is not a bad film but its not a very good film either, plainly put I had mixed reactions about this film, it had a good concept, the acting was above par, it maintains a slow pace throughout but when it ended I felt really disappointed because I waited for something big to happen and it never did, there was no major car chase scenes but there were a few quick shootouts nothing more, there is just nothing to get overly excited about in this film.

However, what kept me watching was the fact that I liked the cast, James Russo, Brad Dourif, Theresa Russell and Micheal Rooker are always great to see on screen no matter how the movie is, also I can safely say director Richard Pepin has done better films in the past, so I can easily let this one slide Overall, it might be worth seeing but you won't miss anything.

This film is a surprise. When I started watching the DVD, I was sure it's a cheap, campy, B or C, D-series kind of movie. The kind that goes directly to DVD, after the test-projection. But no! As the story unfolded, I became more and more impressed. I knew Theresa Russel from a series of good films, such as Kazan's "Last Tycoon", where she made a wonderful debut. I also knew James Russo, but I didn't expect such a special performance. Perfectly paced by the director (whom I haven't heard of, before this film), the chain of events doesn't give you the time to wonder If they make any sense or not. You just go along, and accept that Russel's character has a mysterious ex-husband that drags her into dirty business, that the real cops never show up and so on. Leaving for Hawaii, with the girl and the money, would have been such a great ending, but, after all, the girl wasn't very clean, and neither were the money... Which leaves us with one of the most sympathetic killers I've seen in films the last years and an interesting paraphrase-ending to "The Treasure of Sierra Madre". Check out this film.

"The Box" was not a good movie. I thought the main character, Frank, was a brutal thug just released from prison and destined to go back. He solves problems with violence and, as I saw it, stalked a waitress he met. I think the movie tried to portray Frank as a victim of circumstance where he tries to go straight but is pulled back into crime by the bad influences around him. It was not successful. Frank made deliberate choices to use violence while trying to recover money from the crime he was imprisoned for. Was I to believe that this action was justified and correct? I didn't buy it. It's the skewed logic of a criminal mind that since they stole something then it is now theirs and they are justified in using any means to recover their property. Hey, it's stolen property. It doesn't belong to you. Then there is the whole other story about the waitress and her dysfunctional relationship that Frank sticks his nose into. The whole movie had this poorly contrived aura about it. It seemed that there was an ending, a poor ending, the writer had in mind and he just filled in some facts in the beginning to get the ending to happen. The performances by the principles were poor. Theresa Russell is capable of far better work and she did an OK job given the poor story but overall it wasn't that great. Brad Dourif seemed like he wanted to portray a tough guy by cursing and acting like a fool. He wasn't believable. The movie was a waste of time. Don't bother with it.

A man and a woman, both with a dark past fall in love. They search for happiness, they want to get away and get a better life. People look real, there's great acting on all levels in here. The story is simple but emotional. There's love and desire and big money in a box ...I was left wondering about Life, love, money, hope and despair afterward. A simple story about the fundamentals in life. James Russo as Frank is great, he plays minimalistic, he just looks real, I believe in him. "The Box" is original, it don't smell like Hollywood at all. Very different, very good. Theresa Russel has another great role, she really shines, full of despair and emotions. Well crafted, great atmosphere, a small masterpiece.

There is one thing that works better than a good twist: the absence of a twist when you are expecting one. Why? Because if this happens, it means the movie could surprise you, in the way it didn't choose the path you were thinking about. The Box falls in this category of films.

In its dark, somber and rough style, The Box has elements of the film-noir genre: an ex-convict just released from prison, a small urban town, a femme-fatale and a load of money. And as soon we realize everything is going from bad to worst - following a pessimistic storyline - we know Frank is doomed from the first moment he was released from prison, just because he left unfinished businesses when he was arrested. And for that reason there is no possible redemption, even if we can see, for some moments, glimpses of a new life for the doomed hero.

I like tragedies and doomed characters, and that's one of the reasons I liked The Box. Also, it's nice to see a thriller without a major twist in a time where every thriller marks its points by a closing twist. For this reason, The Box is surely an original piece or, at least, something different from the big-twist-ahead thrillers I've seen in the recent times. For its own good, The Box does not pretend to be smarter than its audience.