Buried

Many readers may know that I have a thing for confined space thrillers. Rear Window, Panic Room, Wind Chill, The Lady Vanishes, Cube – it’s all good in my book. So I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that Buried is my kinda movie. It’s also possibly the most confined of all thrillers, ever.

Ryan Reynolds has always been a great performer. Even in sub-par films like Waiting…, Blade: Trinity or The Proposal, it’s been clear that he is the real deal when it comes to dedicated and skilled performers. In Buried, however, he’s well and truly put through the ringer. For those who don’t know, Buried’s plot is as follows: Paul Conroy (Reynolds) wakes up to find he’s been buried alive in a coffin.

Doesn’t that just sound like the best premise ever? If not, then you’re probably a more interesting person than I. Nevertheless, that is all you need to know about Buried, as Chris Sparling’s brilliant script delivers all the information we need in dribs and drabs. You see, Paul has a mobile phone in the coffin with him, so we learn about his past and about his current predicament through the phone calls he makes. In a brilliant piece of writing, none of this feels like unrealistic exposition – quite a mean feat, considering the challenges Sparling created for himself.

Like all good confined space thrillers, Buried uses its confined setting to the fullest, deftly taking us through every narrative possibility as Paul does everything he can to get out alive. There wasn’t a dull moment in this film – it moves at a cracking pace.

As you would hope, the cinematography makes the most out of the ultra-confined setting. I realise it doesn’t sound like a the most thrilling of visual experiences, but believe me when I say Paul is shot from every conceivable angle in that tiny box. There are a number of special effects shots also, and the camera makes several impossible moves, à la Fincher’s Panic Room. Mark on at least one occasion found such impossible shots distracting, but I for one thought the variety was the only sensible manner in which to shoot such a constrained film.

Buried conveys the sense of claustrophobia perfectly. I really did feel trapped watching this film. I can’t remember a film this claustrophobic since The Descent. The music, as if to counteract the limitations of the setting, is rather extravagant in a Bernard Herrmann kind of way – the opening titles in particular paying homage to films such at Vertigo and Psycho.

Buried makes for terrifying yet compelling viewing. A truly emotional experience, this film doesn’t have a single flaw. See it.