Fantastic Fest 2010 Review: ‘BURIED’

[Deepest apologies about these reviews coming out late.  I will try my best to get all the reviews wrapped up within the week.]

This year, general audiences got their minds blown (I was one of them) by the mainstream box office darling Inception.  That was one end of the rope of film.  Complex, daring, demanding a lot from an audience – all of these things are labels I would give that film.  On the other end of the rope, you have Buried.  Simplistic, daring, playing into a common fear of most common people – being buried alive.  I know some Tarantino fan’s who really freaked out when watching Kill Bill: Vol 2 during the buried alive scene.  Well, Buried is a lean, taut and intense 95 minutes of that without the Pei Mei.

Ryan Reynolds plays a U.S. Contractor Paul Conroy who is on a job in Iraq.  Poor Paul was buried in a box in the earth.  The last thing he remembers is his convoy being attacked by Iraqis.  He is armed with a cell phone that is half full and a zippo lighter.  His problems not only lie in the physical situation he is in, but his lines of communication via cell phone as he tries to convince people on the other line that he is, indeed, buried alive.

Buried previously played at Sundance, which is where I heard of it.  When I asked a couple of people who had seen it to give me a brief summary they told me it is all filmed within the coffin and it is just Reynolds.  No other actors except for the voices on the phone.  Obviously, with a device like that, the film could either be really tense or be kind of bland.  I think most of America likes Ryan Reynolds.  He is a very audience adaptable actor who has a rapport with mainstream moviegoers.  It is this that the director, Rodrigo Cortés, uses against us as viewers as a strength to make the audience sympathize with Conroy in a very short amount of time.  It is very clever when you think about it.

Technically, this film is well crafted.  You would think that by the 30 minute mark you would be bored and would want to see outside of this box and in a normal Hollywood movie, I’m sure there would be a cut to the operators and people Conroy talks to on the phone.  However, Cortés doesn’t let you out, just like Conroy.  As the film moves, at a blistering pace mind you, you only really appreciate the structure of the film after it is done.  Ryan Reynolds really pulls it off here and I hope that we see him in some more dramatic roles in the future because I believe he has the chops.

The only thing about these types of films is that it is sort of like a rollercoaster.  Once you ride it, you might not need to go on it again.  However, I love rollercoaster rides and have no problem riding them multiple times in a day.

Buried is one of the most intense and claustrophobic films I have seen in a theater.  Meticulously crafted and executed, you will be wanting to visit the concession stand for a gasp of air.