Buried

Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes

Release Date: 2010

What a movie! This isn't the conventional creepy crawly slasher or monster picture.  Ryan Reynolds carries the movie completely stuck in a coffin buried underground.

The scariest aspect of this ninety minute movie is imagining yourself in Paul Conroy's shoes, as he's trying to figure out why he's in this box and how he's going to get himself out of it.
I have to admit, the terrorist angle to the movie was hard to stomach because it seemed like the screenwriter's statement was 9/11 related (“everyone hates America”) which I understand but don't agree with. Albeit my personal opinions regarding the political climate, I was still able to enjoy this movie.

What worked particularly well were the camera effects and editing; the cinematographer did a phenomenal job at bringing the audience in this coffin with Paul Conroy from beginning to end. The claustrophobic atmosphere was effective and created masterfully. I loved how the lighting illuminated his face. Stylistically, this movie was amazing. Scary and anxiety ridden to watch.

Plot-wise? There were some unanswered questions; it was too vague at the end. What did this film say? What exactly is the filmmakers' message in this movie? Additionally, what I didn’t get was why he never attempted to get out himself.  Something! Too many questions unanswered. Again, the DP and director’s visual vision was on point but the story was blah. I wanted to love this but I didn’t in hindsight. It doesn’t sit well with me. But you have to give the filmmakers props for what they did with this movie visually.

As a fan of Ryan Reynolds' work (the good, the bad, and the blah), I had to watch this movie. For fellow fans, watch if not for Reynolds' ability to suck you into his world for ninety minutes and not be boring. For everyone else, the pacing might be too slow to care about this character and might turn you off. Take a chance if you're interested but this movie is not a "must see" by all means.