Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87228 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-16
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 105 minutes

Customer Reviews

Lady In The Box is an excellent film
Initially, I went to see Lady In The Box simply because it was filmed in Milwaukee by a Milwaukee director. I didn't expect much and was hoping to see an OK or mediocre film. I came away shocked at the quality of the writing, the direction and the atmosphere of the film. This is one of the best movies I've seen in 2001. It is classic noir with nail munching suspense and great acting. It was an extra bonus to see all the Milwaukee scenery and pick out things that I recognized, but that all took a backseat to the engrossing storyline. I really hope this film is released on DVD and/or video, because it deserves recognition on a national level. It's still at a handful of Milwaukee theaters, but who knows for how long. If you've thought about seeing it, don't wait.

Lady in the Box: Tight, gritty noir.
Film Review: Lady in the Box (2001)

Production Company: Doomed Productions Ltd.
Director: Christian Otjen
Screenplay: Christian Otjen
Cinematography: Jerry Holway
Producers: Holly Mosher, Jerry Holway and Christian Otjen
DVD Release: The Asylum Home Entertainment
Rating: R for violence, language and brief sexuality
Run Time: 107 minutes
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It's not every day production of a feature film is centered in the Midwestern gem-of-a-city, Milwaukee. Local filmmaker Christian Otjen has done just that though. He's filmed a tight, gritty noir thriller on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Lady in the Box asks this question: What is $500 really worth?

Darren Burrows (TV's Northern Exposure) plays Jerry, a simple lakeside tavern bartender who finds himself in the middle of a whole heap of trouble. His best friend, Chris (Robert Knepper) is along for the ride as any good friend would be.

The premise is simple enough. A stranger, played maliciously by Mark Sheppard, offers Jerry $500 to dump a large trunk in the lake in the middle of the night. No questions asked. Jerry, against his better judgment but poor enough to entertain the thought, agrees to the proposition. Easy enough, right?

Wrong. He returns home to find his girlfriend missing and blood covering the apartment. It doesn't take Jerry long to assume it was his girlfriend in the box he dumped in the middle of the lake during the night. Plot-twists follow in this Hitchcock-inspired mystery.

Although the film was made on a low budget, production values are outstanding. Director Otjen has a good feel for the genre and builds suspense ably. The atmosphere of the film is one of its highlights. It really feels like it could be happening to any of us. Shot mostly at night in Milwaukee and around the lakefront taverns, it is often difficult to see what's happening on film. I'm sure this was intentional, to create the right mood, but a little more light would have been better and wouldn't have sacrificed the atmosphere of the picture.

Overall, Lady in the Box is a good film, a B-thriller, with added bonus because it was filmed right here in good ole Milwaukee.

Added Note: The previous review was for the theatrical version of the film. The DVD release by Asylum Home Entertainment leaves me wishing for a little bit more. It's presented well, in picture and sound quality. However, my issues are with lack of extras (there is only the theatrical trailer) and the cover art. I wish Asylum has stuck with the original poster art instead of the cheesy, grade-Z horror movie cover it chose. In addition, and this is only a pet-peeve of mine, but the credits listed on the back of the DVD is pathetic. No mention of Doomed Productions, which made the film. No mention of the DP or Music.

Bottom Line: Film gets a B-, DVD gets a D.

Trippy Cool
I thought the movie was worth watching, probably because I like offbeat films to begin with. I remember Darren Burrows from Northern Exposure and he's always interesting to watch. The character of "Tipper" was played by Robert Glen Keith, who I hadn't heard of before and thought he was very interesting. I thought he was so interesting that I researched him and discovered that he has a web site at robertglenkeith.com where I learned more about this mysterious hot actor. Over all the film was captivating and worth a buy or rent!