MOVIE REVIEW: Buried (2010) ****

Review:
I'd like to start out this review by saying to writer Chris Sparking, director Rodrigo Cortes, and star Ryan Reynolds…"Hey guys, great movie. Now go fuck yourselves! You and your heart wrenching movie that has left me emotionally devastated worse than that time I stayed up too late and was reduced to a five gallon bucket of tears by that Operation Smile infomercial! Seriously, you guys are the worst. And by the worst, I mean the best. But you're still the fucking worst, okay! I hate you all…and I mean that in the best way possible."


So yeah, "Buried" is kind of like that.


Here's the premise: One man is dropped in a wooden box. That man is then buried somewhere in the Iraqi desert in 2006. That man is given a cellphone, a lighter, and a pencil. That man now has as much time as he has air to breathe to figure out why he's been buried alive, who put him there, and how the hell he's going to get out.
If you're the claustrophobic sort, this is NOT your movie. I'm not all that claustrophobic myself, but that's only because I go out of my way to not put myself in a position where I'd have to face that fear. If the elevator is too crowded, I take the stairs or I wait. If something goes under the bed, it stays under the bed. If the only way forward is through a tiny opening, consider me CHUD chum.

"I never should have read those 'Are You Afraid of the
Dark Books as a kid! Damn you R.L. Stine!"

Ryan Reynolds is not an actor I'd regard as "great." Most of the time I wouldn't even regard him as "entertaining." He's one of those guys that you just sort of get tired of if you have too much exposure to him. To me, he's like Ernest P. Worrell or…I dunno…Robin Williams. One of those guys that is funny and awesome a few minutest at a time. Anything beyond that and he just becomes annoying. As surprised as I am, that's not the case here. Reynolds really does a solid job selling the audience that he's legitimately trapped inside a coffin. His fear is real, as is his desperation, and his diminishing hope as time elapses. I never thought I'd say this, but half way into the film, I found myself actually caring about what happens with this character, and began openly rooting for a happy ending.


Rodrigo's direction is flawless. The film is dark, and yet you see everything you need to see. The coffin is just a set, but the camera angles and closeups make the whole thing feel cramped and uncomfortable…even during those moments when the camera pulls back and shows Reynolds laying in the box from a distance. It would be easy to dismiss "Buried" as strictly an art flick or experiment in cinematic minimalism…which very well may have been the case…but the film never waivers in its purpose of tell this man's frightening story.

"Damn. I forgot that trick only works with matches."

I don't know if this movie is based on any sort of truth or fact, but if it is, my heart instantly feels for anyone who may have suffered this form of torture. And if you weren't afraid of being buried alive before going into "Buried," you'll certainly be afraid of it afterward.


VERDICT: **** out of 5

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