Un mort bien vivant

This is a film, which although having a somewhat implausable story line, is

entertaining enough to keep you watching until the end. Joanne (Jennifer Jason Leigh) plays the villianess of the film, administering the poison in an attempt to kill her husband and make off with the loot. She plays the part well, right up to the last part of the film which ends in an unliely manner with the interior of the house undergoing structural changes which would take weeks to do in real life.

Notwithstanding this it does enough to be worth watching, indeed I have seen it on several occasions when there has been nothing to watch on the TV.

For a TV movie, Buried Alive might as well be a masterpiece. I'm not saying TV movies, in general, are bad, but there's usually a fairly workman-like approach to them that can be a bit uninspired. Not here.

Tim Matheson only wants the best for his wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh, but she only wants what's best for herself which includes an affair with sleazy doctor William Atherton and getting her husband out of the picture for good. Everything goes according to plan until they both start to realize that, perhaps, ol' hubby might not be so dead after all.

Now, there are some logic leaps here and there, especially in the final act, but the acting is so great that they can sell just about anything the script throws at them.

Blessed with a tight script, solid direction, and a fantastic cast, Buried Alive stands out from most TV movies and is well worth your time.

This really is one of my favourite films and is definitely the best Tim Matheson film I have seen so far. If you haven't seen it then I can't recommend it enough! The sequel to this film isn't as good but worth watching if you enjoyed the first. Scenes where Tim Matheson's character is seen to move when inside a zipped up body bag in the morgue, and when he is on the undertaker's embalming table are chilling, and when he eventually wakes up after he's been buried and subsequently digs his way out, the film totally delivers on its promise to thrill. The music when he's stumbling through the cemetery is just perfect and will have you rooting for him as he plots his revenge on his uncaring wife. MUST SEE! :-)

Frank Darabont went on to make the brilliant Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Here is an early effort which is a nice combo of film noir, horror and revenge pictures. Jennifer Jason Leigh, a very underrated actress, plays the wife who along with her lover plan to murder her husband Tim Matheson. After the plan doesn't go according to plan, it's the husbands turn to turn the tables. Jennifer's character is so bad that the viewer wants her to get her just reward. Well worth seeing and rates 8/10.

'Buried Alive" is one of those films that has some different ideas, but problems arise in transposing those ideas to the screen. While the performances by Tim Matheson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, William Atherton, and Hoyt Axton are totally acceptable, there is a gnawing distraction called lack of logic, that permeates the film. The shallow burial, and the amazing carpentry work, to name just a couple things that are bothersome. Nevertheless, if you suspend disbelief, the movie maintains interest, and the ending is very satisfying. Sometimes it's worth sacrificing logic in the name of entertainment. ........................ - MERK