The Black Button: Would You Kill a Stranger for $10 Million if You Couldn't Get Caught?

Posted by Alex in Crime & Law, Religion on March 24, 2008 at 4:08 am


The Black Button is a short film by Lucas Crandles. It’s premise is simple yet intriguing: if you couldn’t get caught, would you kill a stranger for $10 million?

Mr Roberts finds himself awoken inexplicably in a white room. A man sits before him at a desk and in between them stands a black button. If Mr Roberts pushes it, he will receive a briefcase filled with millions of dollars. Or he can take the key to the door and leave penniless. The catch? Pushing the button will result in the death of a human being. What would you do?

One of the finalist of the YouTube Award 2007 for Best Short Film: Link [embedded YouTube]

//How about if I push it twice for $20 million? ;)


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25 comments to "The Black Button: Would You Kill a Stranger for $10 Million if You Couldn't Get Caught?"

  1. Parker
    March 24th, 2008 at 4:29 am

    A confused man given a dubious task with monumental monetary rewards by an evil genius overlord. Anyone else immediately think of daily meetings in the White House?

  2. Aeris
    March 24th, 2008 at 4:31 am

    How about 10 million good old british pounds?

  3. astrogirl
    March 24th, 2008 at 5:16 am

    isn't that the plot of an old twilight zone episode? a woman is offered cash if she presses a button and kills a human being - someone "she doesn't know", and in the end she presses it and as the guy leaves she asks him what will happen now and he says he will give the button to someone else... someone "she doesnt know" dah dah dummmm. lol

  4. Aeris
    March 24th, 2008 at 5:26 am

    Uh yeah, if you read the comments underneath the linked video you will see that confirmed.

  5. MrPumpernickel
    March 24th, 2008 at 5:41 am

    Point of useless trivia: what looks to be a case of money is actually a case designed to keep tools in, probably picked up at your local hardware store. I own three exactly like it myself :)

    But yes, if the situation was a serious one and not set up like the one in the video I would sure push it. Roughly three people die every second around the world, what's the difference if it turns into four people for one second?

  6. Aeris
    March 24th, 2008 at 5:44 am

    Now i know that i should ask if i am dead before making a decision.

  7. Miss Cellania
    March 24th, 2008 at 6:26 am

    That was my favorite Twilight Zone episode.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button%2C_Button_(The_Twilight_Zone)

  8. lux
    March 24th, 2008 at 7:43 am

    Hmmm... I'll take 5mil if I can pick who. :P

    KIDDING!

  9. Namowal
    March 24th, 2008 at 8:23 am

    Ha, lux beat me to it! ;)

  10. ted
    March 24th, 2008 at 8:23 am

    Yeah, seen before. It was predictable at the time it was first done.

    Are there no original ideas left in the world?

  11. Ant
    March 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Twilight Zone's Button, Button Episode:

    Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlEZ7N37KNw
    Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q6Q49VdFRE

  12. Scooter
    March 24th, 2008 at 11:56 am

    one question, can i press the button more than once?

  13. Klink-O
    March 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    What if you bump into the button on the way out the door after saying "no thanks"?

  14. leela
    March 24th, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    It is indeed a tempting idea to get easy money at first.
    But would you really enjoy your money and feel so great knowing that you have actually killed someone for it? Maybe a child? Or someone really nice?
    How happy do you think you would become through money alone?

    The killing part makes the money too bitter to really enjoy it, I think.
    But I am sure that there are many people out there who would not care to push the button several times. Well, actually there people have been killed face to face for much less.

  15. Jacki
    March 24th, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    Haha...At first I was hesitant because I couldn't really kill somebody the dirty way. When I realized all there was to do was press a button, yes, go for it!

  16. Aramax
    March 24th, 2008 at 11:16 pm

    Halfway through the video I found a loophole.

    If the guy dont take the key he's stuck inside the room forever so the money would be useless to him since he can't even spend it.

    Meh!

  17. LisaL
    March 25th, 2008 at 2:35 am

    I definitely wouldn't be able to press the button. Hell, I have trouble killing bugs.. and if I do by accident.. I feel bad about it lol.
    I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to know that I killed another human being. Even if that person was vile and evil and deserved to die, I would still feel weird knowing that they died by my hands... ya know?

  18. Subotai
    March 25th, 2008 at 8:42 am

    So now they hand out awards for blatant plegiarism??? Thought I was the only one old enough to remember that Twilight Zone episode. Everyone else must be watching the reruns. As for hitting the button ... can I relearn my Morse Code first, then try for a new speed record?

  19. alison
    March 25th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    I would probably do it. Also, the acting in that Twilight Zone episode is really awful.

  20. Chris
    March 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    Actually, it's going to be a feature film too :( (The Box) featuring many hollywood craptastic actors.

  21. sam
    March 26th, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    id kill the guy offering the money and just take it so i could get the key and then push the button on my way out anyway

  22. you
    March 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    Aramex got an interesting point.

    But you also can ask yourself "Do I know myself, or am I a Stranger to myself, too?"
    So you probably kill yourself by pressing the button. And even if it's an even chance for everyone (round about 1:6 billion) the probability of gaining the 10 million - or even more - by a lotto jackpot (without killing anyone) is far more at your side.

    greez, me

    (sorry for bad english)

  23. Mark
    March 30th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    It's hardly plagiarism; similar premise but it's totally different (and considerably better, IMHO) than the lame Twilight Zone ep. The writing's more solid, the guy behind the desk is amazing, the religious undertones are a nice touch, the white room, it all works a lot better. It's an old idea anyway, this is just the best incarnation I've seen of it. Great vid from some talented guys!

  24. Rudi
    September 21st, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    @LisaL
    I totally agree, I too hate killing bugs, I could never have killed a random human being, even if they gave me 500 mill U.S.D I couldn't have done it.

  25. Mr. D
    September 21st, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    No, I wouldn't hesitate to turn down the offer, so it would be a very short film indeed if I was the protagonist.
    I have less respect for an anonymous killer than a public one, and I think that those who would press the button are probably jaded about the worth of a human life because their own lives are so miserable.


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