my brief thoughts on.... 'Buried' (2010)

one of my biggest fears is to be buried alive.... not neccessarily in a coffin.... but in dirt or sand or any way that would suffocate me and kill me.... sort of like drowning with something other than water.... (drowning freaks me out too).... this film plays on those fears.... those most basic fears of being out of control and knowing you're going to die.... add into that, mix the fact that you have a family that you may never see again.... that you're being held for ransom by terrorists that your government will never pay off.... you have a cell phone, but it's of no real use since you're buried underground.... and that's not all the bad stuff that occurs while Ryan Reynolds is trapped in the coffin.... things just go from bad to worse.... and what's amazing is that all of this is accomplished by one man and a cell phone.... (assisted by the people on the phone)....

you don't know anything about the main character when the story starts, but by the end you know everything about Ryan's character.... why he's there, his family life, what's going on outside of the coffin.... it's all done with the script.... and it just proves that you don't need a mega-budget and big explosions to make a nail-biting film.... this keeps you on the edge of your seat as well as any thriller out there right now.... it's an impressive feat.... and hats off to Chris Sparling, the writer.... it almost feels like a play, but one where you're on the stage with the performer....

Ryan Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, an American contractor in Iraq who drives trucks.... his convoy is hit by an IUD and then attacked by terrorists.... he's taken hostage and wakes up in a coffin.... with only a few items and time running out, he frantically does everything he can to save his life and get back home.... (that's the basic plot.... there's more, but i don't want to give too much away)....
this film is directed by Rodrigo Cortes, a director that i had never heard of before this.... he's done previous films, but this one is the one that i think will put him on the map.... his direction of Ryan Reynolds is something to be seen.... to think that this was the guy who was Van Wilder and now this....? it shows he's got skills.... not too mention that he does so much with so little.... and uses it all so effectively.... there are also some amazing things done with the camera.... things that i'm still not sure how he pulled them off.... i guess a lot of that falls on the shoulders of his cinematographer, but i'm sure he helped to map everything out.... it's very claustrophobic.... almost "Hitchcockian" in it's tone and feel.... granted, the end was not 100% surprising, but it made it no less effective.... and no less satisfying.... (i've been using that word a lot lately, but it's the only way i can describe the feeling i get when a film or movie pays off what it's been building up too)....

all that being said, i gave it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.... i really need to see if the DVD has a 'Making of' on it.... or if there's one out there.... i would love to see what camera tricks they used to film it.... if that sounds interesting at all, check it out.... it's available to rent from Netflix.... and i'm sure, plenty of other places....

if you like this, you might want to watch: 'Frozen', 'Open Water', or perhaps 'Phonebooth'