To say there are twists and turns in The Box is an understatement. The film is about a former LAPD detective who takes part in a home invasion in search of millions in stolen money, only to have the plan quickly go south, killing five and leaving two alive - one of the victims and one of the perpetrators.

In step homicide detectives Cris Romano (played by Gabrielle Union) and Dwayne Burkhalter (played by Giancarlo Esposito) who search for answers as they interrogate the survivors, Finn Williams (played by Yul Vasquez) and Danny Schamus (played by A.J. Buckley). While Vasquez and Buckley both played their roles to perfection, Union was very weak as a tough homicide detective. When her character was required to swear, it seemed forced. Esposito, on the other hand, seemed made for the role of disgruntled Det. Burkhalter.

The cast of The Box is rounded out by Max Ryan who plays bad guy Ray Kamen, Brett Donowho as victim/womanizer Tommy Blaine, Jason Winston George as victim/father/husband Kirby Ferguson, James Madio as victim/former gang banger Rob Ortiz, and Mía Maestro as femme fatale Sasha Eccles. Maestro managed to take what could have been a throwaway part and turned it into an integral character, portraying a dangerous beauty with acting skills that belie her age.

Although the plot has good ideas, as who doesn't love a good whodunnit, ultimately the film falls flat while trying to create more twists and turns than necessary. As the film is also presented from several different characters' perspectives, it is simultaneously confusing to follow and easy to forget.

The Box is directed by first time writer-director A.J. Kparr and is rated R with a running time of 87 minutes. It is presented in letterbox with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and audio 5.1 stereo plus. The film is in English, with no subtitles of any kind available.

I admire the ambition of Kparr and what he was trying to accomplish, but I think he bit off more than he could chew trying to tackle both writing and directing. What's left to show for it is that, unfortunately, The Box is utterly forgettable.