There’s an old saying that some people can’t act their way out of a paper bag. One film star this adage definitely does not apply to is Buried star Ryan Reynolds. In fact, he can keep audiences interested for an hour and a half all without leaving a wooden box.
The concept of the new film Buried is simple: one man, one cell phone, and one lighter are buried together in a small wooden coffin somewhere in Iraq. The man must find a way to escape before oxygen runs out. The premise calls to mind Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, except the tone of Buried is much darker. Instead of a skilled martial artist expertly punching her way through a wooden coffin, we have an Everyman fighting to survive.
The concept of the new film Buried is simple: one man, one cell phone, and one lighter are buried together in a small wooden coffin somewhere in Iraq. The man must find a way to escape before oxygen runs out. The premise calls to mind Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, except the tone of Buried is much darker. Instead of a skilled martial artist expertly punching her way through a wooden coffin, we have an Everyman fighting to survive.
It is obviously a thriller about survival but the real mystery is, how good can a 95-minute film about a man in a box be? When the man in question is Ryan Reynolds, the answer is the $3.2 million price tag the film sold for at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The film centers on Paul Conroy (Reynolds), a civilian contract worker hired by the U.S. to drive supply trucks in Iraq. Insurgents attack his convoy, kidnap him, and knock him unconscious.
Buried opens disconcertingly with a completely black screen. As you sit in total darkness for the first few minutes, the only thing you’ll hear is the sound of grunting and labored breathing, setting the tone for the rest of the claustrophobia-inducing film.
Reynolds expertly conveys panic when he regains consciousness before futilely clawing, kicking and cursing at the lid of the coffin. As the gravity of the situation sinks in, a cell phone that his captors intentionally planted to communicate with him starts to ring. Paul learns that he is being held for a $5 million ransom.
Buried is basically a one-man show and the only moments we hear any interaction with other characters is when Paul uses the cell phone to call for help. One of the most effectively frustrating parts of the film is the amount of bureaucratic red tape Paul must get through in order to elicit help. Operators calmly ask him to describe the nature of his emergency and most don’t even believe him. At one point Paul angrily yells at a representative of U.S. Defense that help would come a lot faster if he were someone more valuable to the government. The accusation that the government only cares about diplomats, journalists, and other notable figures calls into question the ethics of diplomacy.
Overall the premise is so terrifying and the visual scope is so confined that it’s no surprise the film can get very heavy, especially towards the end as Paul begins to lose hope for survival. I think Buried is worth seeing just to watch Ryan Reynolds show off his ability to act out a broad spectrum of emotions without the help of any other visible characters. Arguably few other actors can do the same. If you do decide to watch the film, make sure you take someone with you. You’ll want someone to talk with about the ending!