Buried - Sepolto

Buried is a film that keeps things deadly simple, one character, one location and a one line but horribly inspired plot, those looking for flashy visuals or big action should turn far, far away from this one. It's worth noting though that the film is well directed and photographed, director Rodrigo Cortes has a nimble eye for visuals and angles to keep things visually interesting, while cinematographer Eduard Grau gets the best out of the mere two light sources to make the experience a frighteningly vivid one. The plot sees Ryan Reynolds waking up in a coffin, with nothing more than a cell-phone and his lighter to help him out, things develop through his series of fraught, occasionally bleakly amusing and increasingly desperate communications with the outside world. Its rather interesting to see a film so based around interactions on a mobile phone, devices so often objects of fear, suspicion, or in the case of some horror films and of course the cinematic experience for the viewer, irritations. Here every ring is crucial, the battery bar is nail-biting, even the light of the screen is important. For me, just as interesting was the choice of lead. I've never had time for Ryan Reynolds, a face from some of the worst in lowbrow comedy and someone I never expected to appreciate breaking through into not just serious film but something as bold in its structure as this. A lot of people are likely to dislike the film on a fundamental level, but Reynolds gives the performance of his life here, running through a rainbow of emotions, angry, sarcastic and terrified are but a few. Compelling and sympathetic, likely physically arduous too (though I'd don't know how the film was made it must have been tough, barring serious trickery) he holds the film wonderfully. The script is of course of utmost importance too, and writer Chris Sparling does mostly terrific work. An ordinary man reacting as best he can to a nightmare, drawing on the sort of resourcefulness he probably hoped he'd never need, occasionally breaking down but keeping ploughing on, shades of dark humour in the protagonist's travails on the phone, its endlessly interesting and as time goes on, nail-bitingly suspenseful. I had minor issues with realism in the film, and there was at least one interesting little aside that could have been developed a bit more, but overall this is a great achievement. It surely won't appeal to everyone and my rating might seem generous, but for doing this well on such a risky concept, and putting together a suspenser that remains thought provoking after, a 9/10 from me.

I don't think I've seen a film quite like Buried before. It had me hooked from the onset, and built towards a really shocking and thrilling conclusion. I really enjoyed the story and thought that it maintained a great pace, which is vital for a film of this genre. There were maybe a few moments where things drifted off course, but for the most part it was solid.

Ryan Reynolds was great, which is handy considering he was essentially the sole performer in the film. For large parts of the film he had no dialogue, so he brought his A game in terms of his physical performance.

The camera work was very accomplished, managing to capture the claustrophobic environment without limiting the way the film looked.

A very solid and enjoyable thriller. Nothing truly amazing, but very entertaining and intriguing!

Paul Conroy (played by Ryan Reynolds) awakes to find himself in a wooden box, buried underground. He is a civilian contractor and truck-driver in Iraq. His convoy was ambushed and he was taken captive and buried alive. He has a limited amount of air, giving him a limited time to find a way out. All he has to aid him in this task is his cigarette lighter, a torch, a mobile phone and his will to live.

Minimalist yet highly original, intriguing and tension-filled.

Probably the most minimalist movie ever made. The entire movie is filmed inside a wooden box, a wooden box with one occupant (well, one human occupant...). One actor - Ryan Reynolds - has 100% of the screen time, though there are voices of other actors involved.

Incredibly engrossing and tension-filled. Until the very last moment you don't know how things are going to work out. Director Rodrigo Cortes and writer Chris Sparling keep you on tenterhooks throughout, teasing you with thoughts of one survival option being more likely than the other.

Shows you don't need a big budget to make a great movie.

Original and ingeniously basic premise full of suspense and intrigue in spite of developing only one scenario. Paul (Ryan Reynolds) is an U.S. truck driver working in Iraq . After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes up to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. He encounters within the coffin a working phone, which allows him contact with the outside world. With only a lighter and a cellphone it's a race against time to getaway this claustrophobic death trap . Paul must rely on his owns resources to survive , taking on serpent and burying .

This freaky and clever film chronicles fear ,desperation, paranoia of a kidnapped trucker in Iraq who faces off a completely Kafkaesque situation . This is a thrilling film in which the abducted starring quest to find answers and solutions to why he's imprisoned and getting freedom . The buried trucker very well performed by Ryan Reynolds works utilizing his skills and talents to survive the deadly trap which guard the coffin with serpent and falling down included , as using his intelligence he attempts to avoid get smashed because the coffin is caving itself in .

The picture succeeds because the thriller, tension , as well as a superbly written script delving into the human psyche in such extreme situation and our instinctive urges for survival . Despite low budget the picture manages to be intelligent, intriguing and thrilling. The good thing about this film is that the director made it on a shoestring budget only having to do one set , yet the movie works on many levels but is constantly reconfigured . The trucker contacts by means of cellular phone with the outside world asking for help various characters , they are played -voices-by prestigious American secondaries as Stephen Tobolowski , Kali Rocha and Erik Palladino ; furthermore Samantha Mathis who plays another hostage .The interesting plot bears special resemblance to 'The cube' and ¨Fermat's room¨ but also there's a dangerously premise with strangers closed attempting to find an exit to exasperating situations. Good musical score fitting to tension by Victor Reyes who is also film producer . Fine cinematography , and naturally , plenty of dark and shades by Eduard Grau . The motion picture is originally directed by Rodrigo Cortes . Rating : Good , better than average .

When this movie started and the opening credits began, it was in parallel with Hitchcock movies, almost a replica of the Psycho opening sequence. It was fairly obvious that the director has been inspired by the Master of Macabre.

I was intrigued for the entire 90 minutes of the movie, and although there were a couple of scenes that I was unsure about, it was still well worth watching. Ryan Reynolds is believable as a man buried alive in a coffin, and you can really feel the emotions he experiences during the movie. There is some wonderful conversations he has on the phone, in particular when he speaks to his mother.

Just as you think that nothing more can happen, a surprise twist occurs which makes you want to stay and see if he will or will not survive. The ending was a surprise to me.

Like Phone Booth and Man On A Ledge, both I have only seen recently, I had to watch this to it's full conclusion, and I did enjoy it.