Buried

A remarkable, frequently spellbinding achievement, Buried follows the virtually real-time trials and tribulations of a truck driver (Ryan Reynolds’ Paul Conroy) who finds himself buried alive in a small wooden coffin – with his only link to the outside world a cell phone left by one of his captors. Director Rodrigo Cortés effectively forces the viewer to place themselves in Paul’s shoes, as the film never once leaves the confines of the character’s claustrophobic environment. It’s astonishing, then, just how exciting and visceral Buried often is, as Cortés does a superb job of infusing the proceedings with a number of impressively cinematic visual flourishes – while Chris Sparling’s screenplay has been peppered with a number of enthralling episodes that ensure one’s interest never wanes. At the heart of Buried, however, is a fantastic, consistently engaging performance from Reynolds, with the actor’s unexpectedly impressive performance certainly proving instrumental in the film’s success (ie the viewer truly comes to like this guy and root for his survival). Cortés has ultimately managed to craft one of the most enthralling thrillers to come around in quite some time, and there’s little doubt that the lack of periphery performers is hardly the deficit that one might’ve anticipated.

**** out of ****