Buried

I recently watched "Buried", starring Ryan Reynolds, directed by unknown director (at least in the English speaking world) Rodrigo Cortés.

It's quite a good movie, with a very single minded premise that the movie sticks to with gusto. Ryan Reynolds is a Civillian truck driver trapped in a coffin in Iraq, kidnapped with little to no memory of why he was put there or by who.

I think what made it engaging for me is that the main character is a regular guy who tries to do the best he can to get out of a terrifying situation. He does a lot of stupid things while panicking (like calling 911 initially) and there are no grandiose Kill Bill esque methods he uses to get out of the coffin. It's painful to watch at times as there is no respite from seeing him in the coffin,  you watch him in desperation battling people over the phone trying to explain his predicament and his realisation that in the greater scheme of things, he is unimportant and human life does have a price.

There are some obvious flaws with the film, the most obvious being the seemingly infinite amount of gas in his zippo, along with the fact it magically doesn't burn up his oxygen. Another would be the long battery life on the phone, and the statement that he must only be a few feet underground if he is getting reception. You can't help but think the character wouldn't just try to take his chances with the knife in the coffin and attempt to dig his way out, but hey it might be easier said than done. It is a little annoying to watch and perhaps more explanation would be needed like showing that if he tried to dig his way out he would drown in sand.

Overall I highly recommend this movie. It is an unrelenting, flawed masterpiece that never betrays it's concept. Not everyone will "get it" and some people might find it frustrating watching a guy in a coffin for 95 minutes. In the end the acting is top notch and as backhanded as it sounds Ryan Reynolds proves he has the acting chops to carry a movie like this - who knew!