Lady in the Box

Running time: N/A

A great example of modern film noir, Lady in the Box is a first-rate thriller from writer/director Christian Otjen--a tense and creepy descent into a horror story that could happen to anyone. It's a dark night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the shore of one of the great lakes, and Jerry (Darren Burrows, Northern Exposure) is bragging to best friend Chris (Robert Knepper, Love and Sex) that he's got a sexy new girlfriend who wants to experiment with handcuffs. Jerry's also just received his own boat, and business is going well at the bar he's a 'tender at. A strange, manic patron with a pocketful of twenties stays through last call and wins a load of cash from Jerry on a series of bets; then offers Jerry a chance to get all of his money back and more--with a catch. All Jerry has to do is take his boat out to the center of the lake and throw a trunk and it's mysterious contents overboard--no questions asked. His desire for money taking over, Jerry reluctantly agrees. That's when the real trouble starts. Jerry's about to get framed for a crime he didn't commit. Blood is all over his apartment, his girlfriend is missing and a never-ending array of unexpected plot twists and eerie characters carries the Hitchcockian plot forward, taking Jerry deeper and deeper inside a twisted scheme he has to unravel before he is free. Reviewed by Sam Freund