Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Would you kill for $1 million?

A suburban couple played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden must make that fateful decision in “The Box,” based on a short story by Richard Matheson that was turned into an episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

A disfigured man (Frank Langella) drops a wooden box off on the couple’s doorstep -- she’s a teacher, he’s a NASA engineer - - and follows up with a startling proposition: Press the red button on the box and you’ll receive $1 million in cash, tax free. The catch: Someone you don’t know will die as a result.

It’s an intriguing idea that raises age-old questions about morality, greed and conscience, but writer-director Richard Kelly (“Donnie Darko”) loses focus and the movie deteriorates into an artsy mishmash that’s not nearly as thought-provoking or chilling as it should be.

Kelly stretches the short story into a feature film by adding impressionistic touches, subplots and characters that distract from the theme rather than enhance it. The references to Sartre are heavy-handed, the 1970s space-program backdrop is window dressing and the incidents of mysterious bleeding are more comical than creepy.

The decision the couple makes -- actually the wife prevails over the husband’s objection -- has widespread ramifications, including one involving their son that poses a drastic dilemma. The ending differs from the short story and “The Twilight Zone” program, though it’s hardly an improvement.

Scarface

Diaz and Marsden make a handsome couple, but little impression. Langella, attired in gray suit and homburg hat, is just the opposite. Part of his face is missing, blown away by a lightning bolt, and what’s left there is hideously scarred. (The gap and scars were created with computer graphics.)

In “Indecent Proposal,” Demi Moore is offered $1 million to have sex with Robert Redford. Sometimes you can take the money and still get a good night’s sleep.

“The Box,” from Warner Bros. Pictures, is playing across the U.S. Rating: *1/2

‘The Fourth Kind’

I thought Sarah Palin was the strangest phenomenon to come out of Alaska until I saw “The Fourth Kind,” a film about supposed alien abductions in Nome. The thriller is based on a gimmick that’s as phony as a three-dollar bill.

The filmmakers claim the movie mixes dramatizations with real documentary footage and audio from Alaskans recalling their abductions under hypnosis by a psychologist. Milla Jovovich, who plays the shrink, actually opens the film by somberly explaining this while talking straight to the camera.

Decide for yourself, but I’ve seen more realistic footage of the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch. According to http://www.imdb.com, a popular movie Web site, the film was shot in Bulgaria. I guess that explains why Nome, a flat city on the Bering Sea, is surrounded by mountains in some of the outdoor shots.

“The Fourth Kind,” from Universal Pictures, is playing across the U.S. Rating: *

What the Stars Mean:

****          Excellent
***           Good
**            Average
*             Poor
(No stars)    Worthless

(Rick Warner is the movie critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Rick Warner in New York at rwarner1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 7, 2009 00:01 EST