Music Box

This week's most rewarding drama pick in the US on Kanopy, and in the UK on Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel is Music Box. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 185 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Jessica Lange — one of the stronger performances out there right now. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Kanopy.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Music Box earns its spot. The writing in Music Box treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects. Jessica Lange and Armin Mueller-Stahl lead a cast that treats the material with real seriousness. It hit screens in 1989. What elevates Music Box is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Music Box. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Jessica Lange carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.

Music Box was released in 1989, directed by Costa-Gavras. The full 124-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.