Buried - Ryan Reynolds Can Act?

Rating: 7.0/10 --> Good Sunday afternoon movie when you're bored

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Buried, directed by Rodrigo Cortés and written by Chris Sparling, is an interesting indie film that proves Ryan Reynolds can actually act.  I watched this movie with my LA roommates a few nights ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the movie.  To be honest I wasn’t too keen on watching this movie back in April when my buddy Grant INSISTED we watch it, but I owe him an apology, because it was pretty damn good.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to pay and see it in theaters, but watching this film on DVD was worth the time.

The Summary:  Paul Conroy (Reynolds) wakes up buried alive in a coffin.  His captors leave him with a cell phone, a lighter, and some alcohol.  Ryan only has until 9pm to get his captors 1-millon dollars; otherwise he’s going to die.

My Thoughts: One of Buried’s most captivating features is the feeling of claustrophobia. I don’t know about you but I’m scared shitless of small spaces.  The thought of being trapped in a coffin with only a few hours to live makes me cringe.  Reynolds pulls off the anxiety and fear one would experience in a life or death situation really well.  He’s frantic, flustered, sweating profusely, cursing like a sailor, and going insane. Yup, sounds about right. I’d probably die from pure shock if I woke up in a coffin.  Reynolds honestly did a great job.  He deserves a lot more credit for his acting ability than he’s given, but I guess that’s what happens when you do movies like Van Wilder and The Proposal.

As for the cinematography, it was pretty exceptional for only having a small and confined space to work with.  Lighting was an essential part of making the film look good, and Cortés did a fantastic job.  For a movie that literally only takes place in a coffin, I was never bored with the shot selection.  Cortés made the film really interesting, even though there wasn’t much to work with.  The writing was fairly good too.  There were some twists and turns (I won’t ruin them for you) that I was not expecting at all.  If Buried had been predictable, it would have been an absolute terrible movie. 

Bottom Line: Buried is an above average movie, but nothing special.  For a movie in only one setting, it’s pretty captivating and interesting.  Ryan Reynolds does a great job conveying the stress and anxiety one would face when buried alive in a coffin.  The main problem lies in the fact that some aspects are just “come on” moments.  Every person Conroy calls on the cell phone doesn’t pick up, people don’t believe his story, and he’s given a hard time by the American government.  It loses some credibility with these moments, but generally speaking, Buried is an entertaining movie, and that’s what movies are supposed to do ENTERTAIN you.  So if you get a chance to see this “On Demand” or “Red Box” it’s worth it.  After this movie, you’ll probably be claustrophobic.