Buried

As mentioned here, I finally got around to watching my copy of Buried. This one honestly surprised me, as I had heard mixed things but a surprising amount of positive stuff. I thought I would probably like it, as I like Ryan Reynolds, but I didn't have any idea that it would jump to the top of my "favorite Ryan Reynolds movies" list, and yes I have a "favorite Ryan Reynolds movies" list. This post will be spoiler free, as you all know how much I hate spoilers.

Buried is the story of truck driver Paul Conroy, who is working as a contractor in Iraq delivering supplies to towns damaged in the war. After his convoy is attacked by terrorists, he awakens buried alive in a wooden coffin with only a zippo and cell phone. As his memory slowly returns, he races against time, a dying cell battery,  and a lack of oxygen to escape the death trap.

As you can see, there isn't much of a synopsis to Buried. That's all there is to it, a truck driver wakes up buried alive in a coffin somewhere in the desert. He has no idea where he is, at first he can hardly remember how he ended up there, and he only has a zippo and a cell phone. The camera never leaves the coffin, the audience is just as trapped in there as Paul is. This is minimalist film making at it's absolute finest. This movie is as tense as movies get for me, the very idea of being buried alive is enough to almost make me queasy. The only reprieve is that the coffin seems to be a bit oversized, as Paul seems to have at least a little room to maneuver some. Still it's a horrifying thought. 

I really felt sorry for Paul, as he appears to be a character I think a lot of us can relate to. He's just a regular guy, trying to make a living, and this contract probably came along that offered a substantial amount of money for a guy like him, so he took it despite the risk involved. He handles the whole thing better than I think I would, as I would likely be crying like a little bitch from the moment I woke up. He maintains his cool relatively well throughout the ordeal, even when dealing with people who aren't exactly helpful on the phone. You just think you've lost your patience when dealing with folks on the phone before, try it from the inside of a coffin!  He also has a few other obstacles to contend with, but in sticking with my "no spoiler" policy, I won't go any further into them.

Overall, I thought this was an extremely well done movie. It is a shining example of the "less is more" approach. I don't think I would've liked it as much had it ever moved outside of the coffin. You get all you need from the phone conversations, and Ryan Reynolds, who turns in what is the best performance of his acting career in my opinion. Highly recommend giving this one a watch.