Arthur contemplates killing Steward, but Steward warns him he will be charged with the murder, his son's condition will remain, and the family will be left with nothing. Steward refuses Norma's proposal to kill herself. Steward laments that he had hoped the family would not succumb to the temptation of the money, and delivers a final ultimatum: They may keep the money and live out their lives with their disabled son, or Arthur can kill Norma, thereby restoring Walter's sight and hearing, with the million dollars placed in a high-interest account available to him when he turns 18. It is revealed that Steward has been collaborating with a group of benefactors, using the box to decide whether the human race is worth preserving.Īfter several paranormal incursions, Steward returns to the Lewis home and informs them that Walter, earlier kidnapped by unknown assailants, is locked in the family's bathroom upstairs and has been stricken blind and deaf. The chief tells Cahill that Steward became "something else" after being killed by lightning, shortly after NASA received the first photograph transmitted by the Viking 1 Mars lander in July 1976.Īrthur and Norma become plagued by seemingly supernatural happenings and are visited by others who fell victim to the box, pressing the button and suffering the same fate as the Lewis family. NASA chief Martin Teague and Norm Cahill, Arthur's boss, discuss Cahill's missing colleague, Arlington Steward. The police treat the murder as a domestic homicide, and it is discovered that the husband of the woman who was shot is a colleague of Arthur's. Arthur attempts to return the money, but Steward declines, stating that he can do nothing because "the button has been pressed". Steward arrives and presents Arthur and Norma with the $1 million, assuring them that someone did indeed die as a result of their actions, and that the same offer will be presented to someone else they do not know. It is revealed that someone is shot, and the gunman ran from the scene with a briefcase. After further discussion, Norma impulsively pushes the button, whispering 'It's just a box'. They discuss the matter further in the morning, and after work, Arthur reveals that the hundred dollar bill is real. They open the box to discover it is 'just a bunch of wood', and Arthur chastises Norma for her fear, but no decision is made before they go to sleep. Norma and Arthur argue over Steward's offer, complicated by the news that their son Walter's private school, where Norma teaches, will no longer provide a discount for his tuition. He gives her $100 for allowing him to enter the house and voice his deal, and leaves. Steward arrives to deliver the key to unlock the button, and tells Norma that if the button is pushed, she will receive $1 million in cash, but someone she does not know will die. In December 1976, financially desperate NASA engineer Arthur Lewis and his wife Norma find a package on their doorstep, containing a wooden box with a large red button. The film stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man (played by Frank Langella) who offers them one million dollars if they press the button sealed within the dome on top of the box, but tells them that, once the button has been pushed, someone they do not know will die. It is based on the 1970, short story " Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, which was previously adapted into an episode of The Twilight Zone. The Box is a 2009, American psychological thriller film co-produced, written and directed by Richard Kelly.
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