A brilliant feat of story-telling

The past few weeks have been rather disappointing in regard to the quality of films being dished out by Hollywood. Imagine my delight at seeing a film that I really enjoyed, which managed to hold my interest from start to finish!

I know what you're thinking, how can a film named, The Box be half as interesting as it sounds? Well, put simply, the story only starts with the box, but the repercussions and consequences thereafter are a brilliant feat of story-telling.

This film is set in the 1970s (incidentally my favourite time period) and begins with the innocuous event of a small box being delivered to the home of a couple (Norma and Arthur) who are struggling for money.

One afternoon, a man with some nasty scars on his face, named Arlington Steward knocks on their door. He presents them with the box, which has a conspicuous and somewhat sinister looking red button on the top.

Steward presents the couple with a fairly simple proposition: If they push the button, they will receive one million dollars in tax-free cash, but of course, there is a catch. If they press the button, someone they don't know will die ... a moral dilemma if ever there was one!

The first half of the film explores the couple strenuously debating the moral and ethical elements of pushing the button. They really do need the money, and let's face it, a million isn't exactly pocket change ... so, it's a matter of deciding whether they can live knowing they've caused some poor acquaintance's death.

The second half goes into much stranger territory, when Norma and Arthur start demanding that Steward answer their questions about the box. They end up discovering that his proposition was never as straight-forward as it seemed.

Cameron Diaz gives a spectacular performance, playing a kind of role she hasn't really tried before. Since this is a trippy, mind-boggling kind of story, she has the opportunity to really shine in a serious role, breaking away from her usual comedic safe-zone.

Her character is a fairly reserved, ordinary type of woman placed into an extraordinary situation, and unusual circumstances that she has tremendous difficulty understanding. Diaz does a brilliant job portraying a person who feels like their dream come true has turned into a nightmare.

This is one of the best films I have seen all year, in fact it was so good, it actually makes me forgive Diaz for her lacklustre performance in My Sister's Keeper.

Showing in: Seef II and Saar Cineplex