Buried (2010)

Director: Rodrigo Cortes

Cast: Ryan Reynolds

Date: October 2010

Plot: An American truck driver in Iraq is captured and buried alive in an old wooden coffin, armed with only his lighter and a cellphone he must find a way out.



Buried - Trailer

Review: Upon seeing the trailer for this movie a few months ago I had great hopes and expectations, it was daring, suspenseful and above all beautifully original! I did have one or two notable concerns though; Can Ryan Reynolds act by himself for 90 minutes? Can he movie the story along and essentially carry the whole movie alone? Would a story of basically Ryan Reynolds in a box work? I believe I got the answers to all these questions last week...

We open in pitch blackness as Paul Conroy (Reynolds) awakens in the old wooden coffin, we are introduced to our main character from the light of a Zippo lighter and never leave his cramped claustrophobic side for the rest of the movie.

The film is daringly shot from inside the coffin at all times, we never cut to another scene or pan away for a moment. This along with the minimal lighting brings the audience into film and allows us to experience the similar fears and isolation that Paul feels.

Although a bit sceptical at first, this did really work! I am not sure if it was the fantastic performance from Ryan Reynolds or the master cinematography but I found myself engulfed in the film and sometimes even checking to make sure I had enough space to move my arms and legs! Bravo!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the film but there were a few unhappy patrons at the cinema, I'm not sure what they were expecting from a film about one man trapped in a buried coffin with the story told from his perspective... maybe some vampires or a transformer or two!!

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller of a movie.
And yes I will be buying this one when it comes out on DVD/Blu Ray next year!