Flick Flak: Buried
Buried
Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
15, 95 mins
A man in a box. A minimalist concept and a minimalist film, Buried is literally Ryan Reynolds in a coffin for 95 minutes. You may wonder, as I did, how you can make an entire film, and maintain interest, with this ultra-simple idea, yet this film does more than maintain interest; for the whole running time it is tense and thrilling, largely down to the excellent acting of Reynolds.
One of the first things to note about Buried is how cinematic it is. This is a triumph considering the restrictions under which Rodrigo Cortes is operating. Obviously he has only the confines of a wooden coffin, but the camera work is excellent, finding all kinds of angles for different purposes. We get dirty, sweaty, close ups of Reynolds' face; we get to see from his point of view (particularly claustrophobic when we are shown his view of the planks just inches from his face). The music also contributes significantly to the mood - from increasing anxiety, to stoking hope, and worsening despair. I imagined that this film would be made in documentary style, so I was surprised by just how cinematic it is.
The plot of the film is simple but effective: Paul Conroy (Reynolds), a truck driver for building contractors in Iraq, awakens after an ambush in a coffin buried beneath the sand. He has only his lighter (which burns oxygen in return for keeping the darkness at bay) and a mobile whose battery is slowly dying. I will not say anything about how the story progresses, but it successfully keeps you interested with new developments, shocks, emotional turmoil and more. The story also strays into political territory, with angry stabs at bureaucracy and American capitalism adding substance to the emotionally draining action. Clearly the main feature of this film is the claustrophobia, feeling like you too are trapped, and while I did not feel too anxious watching Buried, I can understand if people did find it stressful. Some of the camera angles made you feel stifled, and some scenes were definitely tough to watch; when Conroy tries to turn around in his coffin you are uncomfortably reminded of what it was like to get stuck in a hiding place as a child.
This film lives or dies on the acting of its lead, and Ryan Reynolds could not be any better. Previously I didn't think of Reynolds as a brilliant actor - he does funny very well, and is the best thing about some bad films, as well as demonstrating a good depth of character in Adventureland. But with Buried he excels himself, entirely convincing as a normal guy in horrific circumstances. He goes through the full range of emotions; panic, anger, joy, despair. He still produces genuinely funny moments of dark humour, but the audience utterly empathises with him through his anxiety, fury and desolation. Such is the quality of his acting that at times he is acting only by breathing in complete darkness - you can feel his panic, feel his desperation to control his breathing as his hyperventilating consumes precious oxygen. As mentioned above, it is an emotionally draining experience.
Buried thoroughly impressed me. Its originality and intelligence is admirable, as is the fact that it is able to sustain such a concept for the full running time without getting boring. If I was to criticise it, I would have to say that while it is tense and gripping, when it comes down to it, it is purely a man in a box. Probably not a film for repeat viewings, but well worth watching once.
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