The Box offers a seemingly uncomplicated premise, yet when Norma Lewis awakens early one winter morning to find a nondescript box sitting on her doorstep, she never dreamed that the contents would define her character, alter her future and possibly the future of humanity....

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Richard Kelly’s (Donnie Darko and Southland Tales) third directorial effort is an exciting and rousing psychological thriller that poses many questions worth pondering well after the credits roll. What would you do if offered $1 million at the expense of a life of someone you don’t know? Sure the obvious answer is not press the button, but it’s not always that easy. Add to the equation: you’re running into financial difficulties that directly affect the upbringing of your child, you know that no-one else will ever know what you have done, and finally, you don’t fully believe the proposal to be true. Does that change your response? Yes? No? Maybe? Think about the worst position you’ve ever been in during your life, would you press the button then? Everyone has their breaking point somewhere down the line.

Based on the Richard Matheson short story ‘Button, Button’, Kelly’s screenplay is meticulous and painstakingly thought out. Despite a premise which is totally impossible, the situations he places the Lewis’ in feel genuine; their actions, decisions and whole emotional spectrums are as real as they come. It is unpredictable for the most part (unless you’ve seen the episode of ‘Twilight’ that was also based on Matheson’s story) and cleverly plays its cards slowly and methodically. The twists and turns are fantastic and keep you on the edge of your seat, even if Kelly starts to take one too many liberties in the final act. One thing is for sure though, it’s a movie that requires you to think outside, erm, the box.

As the quandary-facing couple, Diaz and Marsden share terrific, natural chemistry. Marsden proves he can be a bona-fide leading man if given the right material; his acting in the past has sometimes been cheesy and tacky but here he is completely engrossing and believable. Not faring quite as well is Diaz. With a noticeable puffy face (intentional make-up or botox gone wrong?) she gives it her all, yet never fully convinces in her intense dramatic scenes. Rounding out the main trio of players, Langella’s Steward is a strangely beautiful beast. Langella’s deep eyes and low voice are entrancing whilst his Two Face-esque disfigured face (rendered in CGI which isn’t 100% if you look too closely) is ghastly and adds a further level of mystery to the character.

With a powerful score and a stimulating basis, this Box is well worth investing your money and time into.