Review of Buried (2010) by Demironin — 14 Apr 2011

A suffocatingly well executed idea which surprisingly has a lot more to offer than you might think. The film is just as the title leads you to believe, Ryan Reynolds wakes up one moment and realizes he's been buried alive! Reynolds plays Paul Conroy a truck driver who's been contracted to "rebuild Iraq" (of course after we've invaded and destroyed it).

Awakening imprisoned Paul does what everyone would do, screams as loud as he can for help and tries and force his way out. However the obvious solutions prove to be futile so armed with a flashlight, a lighter and a Blackberry Paul must escape or be witness to his own one man funeral.

Latter, we come to know the reason for Paul's imprisonment is that he's being held captive for the sum of one million dollars, which if not transfered to a certain bank account he will be left to die.

Paul calls everyone he can think of including family friends, the government and his company to prevent him from dying five feet under the ground trapped in a box. What can Paul do to satisfy his kidnappers and who can he call to get him out!? We'll you're going to have to watch the movie to find out.

This film never leaves the box which is an amazing feat for a film. It stays underground and doesn't leave for surreal dream or fantasy moments like 127 Hours, which in my mind makes it a better film.

Now you can debate this for hours on end but for me, putting the parameters of "We are going to make a film about someone being trapped, and we are never going to cheat by leaving the space of the character" is something to be praised for if done correctly.

Buried delivers a story that few would try to attempt and manages to not only keep your audience interested in suspense but also brings up some very controversial topics about government, power and truth.

The sound design in this film is amazing and the variety of shots this film pulls off with such a small space should make all cinematographers take notes. Ryan's performance is pitch perfect as you see his character ride a roller coaster of emotions of panicked, hopeful, and defeated.

Even though you may hate the sound of this movie, that is exactly why you must see it. *spoiler alert If not for the ending this film would have only gotten a 7/10. But the ending has a twist at the end (which I didn't see coming) that packs a wallop of truth down your throat.

For making the strong choice and not going hollywood I gotta give it another point. Well deserved.