Buried (2010)

I will admit, I'm a bit of a Ryan Reynolds fan. There's something about his charm and sense of humour that I find very engaging, not to mention, he isn't bad eye candy, if you're into that sort of thing. However, and most importantly, I've always thought him to be a very talented and very underrated actor. I guess there's always a stigma about comedic or action hero actors to be somehow 'sup par'. Sometimes that holds true, but sometimes it doesn't, and I guess this is a more mainstream 'serious' film that should allow sceptics to finally see that, damn yo, dis boy can ACT.

I've known about the film Buried for a while, since I periodically like to check out what Reynold flicks are coming out, but I stayed clear of too much press, not wanting to spoil myself before I saw the movie.

There are no big spoilers in this post, but if you really don't want to know anything about the movie, read no further.

The basic premise is, Reynolds is a contracted driver in Iraq. He gets attacked, and wakes up buried underground in a wooden coffin - which is where we join him. The entire film is set in the box, there are no flashbacks or cuts to what's happening outside the box. We just stay with Reynolds for the entire agonising, emotional, and very suspenseful journey. He has a cell phone, the only means of which he can try and communicate with the outside world and hope to get saved.

A time limit, dwindling oxygen and light and a cell phone battery, an unstable and unsafe coffin, unsympathetic or ignorant or politically tied people on the other end of the phone, all add to the tension of Reynold's situation. The dialogue seems very natural, the acting is of course excellent, the lighting and camera work and pacing all add to a very claustrophobic and desolate situation.

The film is hard to watch - and there are scenes of violence, just as a warning, but the movie is hard to watch not only for these, but for the suspense and emotions the film portrays, and it portrays them very well.

However, it does very little to paint a pretty picture of what's happening over in Iraq.

If you're into suspense horror films or just horrible human dramas, check this out.

Four out of five stars.