Every now and again we all take a gamble. I remember once doing some mental betting, before a radio show. It involved some trapped wind and the odds of a follow through. Needless to say, I lost the bet and some underpants to boot. So to shoot a movie that is completely set in a coffin, must also carry some underpants destroying gambles. After all, many who part with their hard earned cash to go to the flicks expect some form of nudity, explosions and for some of their brain cells to be killed! Don’t get me wrong, I love those flicks too, but Buried is very far removed from what many might be used to.
When I say the movie is set in a coffin, it is set in a coffin. There is not cut scenes to the outside world, no split screen phone conversations, no flash backs. Nothing. The “set” is lit by nothing other than a mobile phone, a zippo lighter, some radioactive looking glowsticks and a dodgy torch. Keep in mind, not of all these are to hand all the time, and for parts, Buried is in complete darkness. Yup, you read that right. A blank screen, with nothing but some grunting and heavy breathing from Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds character, Paul Conroy a convoy truck driver, has been kidnapped and buried alive somewhere in Iraq. He has no idea how he got in the coffin and all he has for company is the aforementioned items. In between conversing with his captor, the State Department, a few 911 calls, and voice mails, Conroy desperately clings onto life, as he awaits the cavalry to arrive and rescue him.
Buried starts off slowly as Conroy starts to figure a few things out and starts making calls. And it’s the phone calls that keep the story thundering along. For one reason or another, he can never get his wife on the end of the phone and the amount of red tape he comes across is, simply crazy. Here’s a go who is buried underground in Iraq and people on the other end of the phone just aren’t too bothered about his predicament. By the final chapters, after climbing to the top of the mountain, Buried hurtles you off the top and you hang on for dear life as the movie hurtles at break neck speed to its conclusion. And the final 10 minutes are incredibly intense, and as for the ending, will for me at least, I thought it was simply brilliant! The whole thing comes at you so hard and quick, you won’t have a chance to catch your breath. Buried is a gamble that will surely pay off although it’s party piece, of being set in a coffin for its duration, may also be it’s downfall. For me though, that wasn’t the case, but I can see where other’s may get bored of the whole thing, especially in the opening 15 or so minutes.
I also felt that a couple of scenes could have been a bit longer, in particular the “trouser” moment, but Buried is walking a very thin line of what keeps the audience engaged and credit where it’s due, for the best part, director Rodrigo Cortés keeps on that fine line. The cast, well Ryan Reynolds to be precise is brilliant. There is genuine fear in his eyes, and considering he got fairly well busted up (including getting a bald spot from lying in a coffin for so long) it’s an amazing feat to pull off. The only thing, the let’s him down are the voices on the end of the phone, which aren’t entirely convincing.
Buried is an incredibly fresh, unique and clever movie, with a rock solid performance by Ryan Reynolds and will leave you breathless by its conclusion! Although not for the no brainer brigade or the cluster phobic, it’s really enjoyable and a must watch,
