Movie Review: "Buried"

Seen on: September 14, 2010

The players: Director: Rodrigo Cortes, Writer: Chris Sparling, Cast: Ryan Reynolds

Facts of interest: The script made it onto the Blacklist.

The plot: Ryan Reynolds plays Paul, a civilian conrractor who wakes up in a coffin buried underground somewhere in Iraq...

Our thoughts: Ryan Reynolds goes underground in Rodrigo Cortes’ new thriller “Buried,” a fast-paced, suspenseful big-screen experience about a civilian contractor who wakes up to find he’s been buried alive in a coffin somewhere in the Iraqi desert. Stemming from a highly original script by Chris Sparling, “Buried” works as a scary ride boasting an incredibly claustrophobic and intense atmosphere.

It takes a lot of creativity and guts to generate a movie that shows one actor stuck inside a dark box for 94 minutes, but the filmmakers behind “Buried” took a rather simple concept and stuffed it with an interesting backstory that helps move things along as the movies progresses. Reynolds’ character Paul Conroy is in that coffin for a reason, and neither he nor the audience knows that when he first wakes up.

Stuck in darkness, all Conroy has with him is a cell phone, a lighter and a couple of other random items he won’t be able to use in order to free himself. In addition to that, oxygen is tight, the fear of approaching death grows fast, and the phone reception he’s got down there isn’t that great either. But who will Paul call? And what will he say? Most importantly, what will he find out about his predicament?

These are the kind of questions we are dying to know shortly after the film kicks off, and the following buildup of suspense is in part caused by the answers Paul has to listen to while time is ticking away. Shocking truths are revealed and twists are introduced, keeping audiences wondering what the heck will eventually happen to this guy. Sparling knows how to deliver suspense, because his script is filled with it.

“Buried” also boasts a compelling political theme, but that’s all I’m going to ay about it. This is the kind of movie you have to experience for yourself without knowing all too much about it. What I can tell you though is that it’s an original thriller that will instantly captivate you, and another reason it all works so well is Reynolds’ capability of delivering an authentic performance as Paul.

Reynolds said he preferred not to rehearse for this film because he didn’t want his performance to loose its intensity, and I think he made a great decision there. He definitely helps create a nervous sense of panic that raises the stakes in terms of suspense and claustrophobic atmosphere, and I never really had a problem with how his character reacted to this predicament. After all, no two people would do the same in such a situation, right?

Technically, “Buried” hits all the right notes, proving Rodrigo Cortes is a very capable director with a bright future in filmmaking. Shooting a film mostly in close-ups and in and around a box can be quite challenging, but Cortes and his team totally pulled it off. The movie looks and feels great, and even though the space for Paul to move around is limited, we get to experience the action from all sorts of tricky angles.

Freaky quote: "I need help, please. Send help please!" - Ryan Reynolds

The final word: I loved “Buried.” It kept me entertained without requiring me to completely shut down my brain, and it left me guessing until the end. I’m not really claustrophobic, but this film still made me uncomfortable at times. It’s great, because that’s what I expect from a psychological thriller like this one. Ryan Reynolds’ excellent acting helps as well, of course. I can only recommend it!

Article by Franck Tabouring