The Box (2003/I)

Director:

Richard Pepin

Writer:

James Russo (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Awards:

1 win

Cast

James Russo	...	Frank Miles
Theresa Russell	...	Dora Baker
Brad Dourif	...	Stan
Steve Railsback	...	Jake Ragna
Jon Polito	...	Michael Dickerson
Michael Rooker	...	Detective Stafford
John Snyder	...	Detective Miller
Lee Weaver	...	Joe
Joe Palese	...	Mike Jennings
Lucille M. Oliver	...	Rita
Meadow Williams	...	Dancer
Kfir Shoshan	...	Man at bar
Michael Corral	...	Butler
Carlos Lauchu	...	Bartender
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Bald man

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

USA:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:18 | Finland:K-15 | USA:R

Trivia:

Brad Dourif's T-shirts, refer to earlier movies he has been in.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Final Move (2006)

Surprisingly Good Film-Noir

After three years in a penitentiary, the thief Frank Miles (Rene Russo) is released in probation. He is sent to a small town, where he lives in a very low budget hotel downtown and works as a mechanic in a junkyard. His best friend is Stan (Brad Dourif), an ex-small-time drug dealer, who became his friend in the prison. While having his meals in a simple restaurant, Frank meets the waitress Dora Baker (Theresa Russell), a woman with a hidden past, and they feel attracted for each other, starting a romance. Meanwhile, Frank tries to retrieve his US$ 200,000.00, left with a former partner, and Dora is threatened by her former husband, the scum Jake Ragna (Steve Railsback). When Dora finds a mysterious box hidden in her beautiful house, their troubles begin, as if it were the Pandora Box. "The Box" is a surprisingly good low-budget film-noir. Having a great low-paced dark story written by James Russo and very well developed characters, this movie is completely underrated in IMDb. The whole cast has an excellent performance, highlighting James Russo, maybe in his best role, and the good actress Theresa Russell. The pessimist and non-commercial storyline is very real, having no plot point or surprises, becoming darker and darker and without redemption, being a gem to be discovered by adults. Congratulations to James Russo, Richard Pepin, Theresa Russell and the cast and crew for such a good film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Caixa" ("The Box")