Richard Kelly has had a pretty crazy career already. While his first feature “Donnie Darko” underperformed at the box office, it has found a massive cult following on DVD. His follow-up, “The Southland Tales” was a disaster. A confusing and nearly unwatchable mess that was pretty much reviled by everyone. Having loved “Donnie Darko” I have been eagerly waiting ‘The Box,” Kelly’s first attempt at playing in the major studio’s sandbox. Does the studio system that is traditionally only interested in their financial bottom line stifle his vision?
In a word, no.
“The Box” is by far Kelly’s strongest film narratively. It feels more focused than his first two films and Kelly is working with a confidence that even seemed lacking from the well-received “Donnie Darko.” Remember, Kelly released a director’s cut of Darko that spelled out the film’s plot, partially trying to appease the critics that said the film made no real sense.
What is even more impressive though, is that “The Box” feels like a completely unwatered down Richard Kelly movie. It is perhaps the strangest studio movie I have ever seen, with an ending that is bleak to say the least. As a result, the film has gotten mostly bad reviews and the box office was underwhelming this weekend. It will be interesting to see if Kelly gets this much control over a film again- at least one produced by a major studio like Warner Brothers.
While the film is far from perfect, it feels wholly original and Kelly draws wonderful performances from his cast. James Marsden in particular, does stellar work. And Kelly proves again he is adept at completely capturing a time and place- this time a sleepy suburb in 1970′s Virginia. And while the movie certainly shovels on the weird, Kelly does a wonderful job at developing the characters and the relationships so we have an emotional investment by the time the movie turns to talk of aliens, tests of humanity and eternal damnation.
Go out and see “The Box.” while it is not a movie for everyone, it is important to support originality, particularly when it is coming from such a relatively new and promising voice. Some of the best studio films of the last few years (hello “Dark Knight”) have come from directors who started out in indies before making the move to the mainstream studio system. Maybe Richard Kelly’s best movie making days are behind him, but I think “The Box” shows a director who is beginning to deliver on the promise of a strong and daring first feature. Lets hope he keeps getting chances to prove me right.
