Buried

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.

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!

I hate it when fantastic movies such as this get completely overlooked when it comes time for awards to be handed out. Buried is a triumph in minimalist filmmaking and is a heart wrenchingly intense movie experience. It is gripping, moving, frustrating, and terrifying. Oh yeah, and it all takes place inside a box. Paul Conroy, who is played by Ryan Reynolds and is the only character in the movie we actually see, wakes up in a coffin buried under the ground with no idea how he got there or who put him there. He shortly finds out that he is being held by ransom by a group of terrorists in Iraq. With only a pen, a flask, a cell phone, and only 90 minutes of oxygen, Paul has to act fast. The movie limits itself to an astounding extent, but makes the most out of what it has, creating an incredibly thrilling experience.

How much can you really expect from a movie that takes place in a human sized box with only one person? Buried delivers a lot more than you would expect from this scenario. It has all the right elements to make it as enthralling as any action film we see today. To start off, Rodrigo Cortes does a great job directing his limited space. He miraculously pulls off a lot of great shots and brilliant claustrophobic nuances. He directs with enough skill to keep the movie interesting in its entirety. The movie never felt lagged or drawn out and every moment where it would have slowed down it would throw a great twist or shocking moment that drew you right back in.

Furthermore, the director does a lot of great artistic work with what little he to work with. We have to take into consideration the fact that when you are buried underground in a coffin, there is obviously zero light. Thankfully Paul has various light sources with him in the coffin. And so to keep from breaking the realism of the film, these light sources are the only light in the film, making sure all light is authentic. Paul's light sources include a lighter, a flashlight, a cell phone, and a green glow stick. Each of these light sources gives off a different color, and these colors which obviously encompass everything when they are present add to and reflect the mood of the film. When things are calmer (relatively of course) we are treated to the soft blue light of the cell phone. As things grow more suspenseful and harrowing we are treated to scenes lit by the green glow stick. And when things grow more sinister the red lens of the flashlight is used. I found these minute details fascinating and they artistically added a lot to a film which had little room to work with.

While Cortes' directing gives the film plenty of life, Ryan Reynold's stalwart performance really drives the emotion of the film. He delivers a top notch performance, and he as to seeing as he is the only character in the film other than the various people he talks to on the phone which we never actually see. It can't be easy to carry a film all by yourself, but this year we were treated to two performances that did a superb job at it, the other of course being James Franco in 127 Hours.

Buried is a film that Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud of. It is a groundbreaking thriller that does so much with so little. It is such a harrowing movie experience that you cannot forget. All 90 minutes of this film are fascinating and gripping, especially the last fifteen. The final moments of the film are some of the most captivating and enthralling moments I've ever experienced through film. During the finale of the film you will want nothing more than to know the fate of Paul Conroy, and when you finally do learn his fate at the close of the film your jaw will drop and you will be utterly blown away by such a captivating on screen experience.

Buried (2010)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Effective thriller has Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) waking up in pure darkness and soon realizing that his convoy in Iraq was attacked by insurgents and now he is stuck inside a coffin without much time to live. He has a cell phone and a few other odds and ends and this here is really as much as you need to know in terms of story. BURIED is certainly unlike any other film that I can think of. Sure, there have been countless movies about being buried alive as the horror genre is full of such films but none of them actually put you in the coffin for 94-minutes and made you squirm like this thing does. It's interesting that the director and screenwriter decided to have every single second inside the coffin and I think this was a very wise choice. I think an uncomfortable filmmaker would have chickened out and not kept everything inside the coffin. There are several people that Paul calls throughout the movie trying to get help and I think a lot of people would have shown these other people but thankfully that doesn't happen here. I think the film works because as more and more time passes you begin to feel like Paul, as if you're trapped and by keeping you inside the coffin you never really get a chance to catch your breath. Every time Paul goes into shock so do you. Every time another issue comes up you can't help but feel his pain. Every single thing Paul feels in the movie is something the viewer is also feeling so it was very wise to keep everything in this small box. The amazing thing is that you'd think there wasn't too much you could do in such a small space but the screenplay offers up quite a few things that I won't ruin. I don't think anything came across as being faked or forced. The one problem I had with the film is that since we do spend the entire time in the box, it takes a few minutes to really warm up to Paul. Yes, we feel the dangers as soon as the film starts since it begins with him in danger but the suspense really starts after we become to know the guy, have feelings for him and wanting to see him get out of this situation. Reynolds is certainly one of the best actors working in movies today and it's a real shame that so many of his great performances aren't being seen by the masses. His performance here is another winner as he carries the entire film. Being trapped in a tight box without much room to move allows him to use facial gestures as well as other body movements. There's also a lot of work he has to do with his voice. The most impressive thing for me was just watching his eyes as we can see his fear, heartache and pain without him having to say a single word. The 2.35:1 framing allows some terrific shots but it also adds to the claustrophobic nature of the film. As more and more time passes you can't help but feel squeezed in just like the character and I must admit that there were a few times where I was holding my breath for so long that I ended up gasping for air. I won't ruin the final ten-minutes but they're certainly not for the weak hearted.

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 .