Movie Review: Buried

One long box. One man trapped inside. Roughly 90 minutes. How can they possibly fill the runtime? Well, after watching the film, I was stunned as it actually felt longer, which in this case was a good thing since the intent was to make the audience feel like they were in the same situation as the trapped man.

To me, the film had a simple yet effective story that put me on the edge. I actually thought that it was a fantastic idea for a film to set it all in a singular location sans any beautiful images as it made the audience focus more on the narrative of the movie rather than the special effects. Obviously, this only proved the point that it's not always the CGI, the big casts or fancy stunts that make a good film - it's actually just a good story. Nothing seemed implausible. Nothing seemed contrived simply to move the plot along. The level of realism in this film was absolutely refreshing.

Now, it's also worth noting that this film was extremely well written and brilliantly directed and photographed. I found the direction of Rodrigo Cortes to be truly exceptional as he clearly had a nimble eye for visuals and angles just to keep things visually interesting and fresh. He managed to constantly have me on the move just like the main character's thoughts. Diving in when the action was intense and then cutting the scene black when I don't think I can take it anymore. He also provided enough to share that sense of claustrophobia and confinement within the small physical dimensions.

Moreover, the cinematography was also impeccable as the film got the best out of the mere two light sources to make the experience a frighteningly vivid one. Oh, and the musical score was ominous.

But of course, all of that would not matter if the actor playing the only role botched his part. That's why I have to give it to Ryan Reynolds who I thought had a considerable charm and surprisingly convincing acting chops to carry the entire film by himself. I thought he gave the performance of his life after he single handedly demonstrated his great acting range as he took me through a wide variety of emotions from angry, to sarcastic, to terrified. This film was, literally, his.

Needless to say, I would highly recommended this film for its bold vision and fine execution. Yes, Buried, to some extent, was a tough movie to watch as it was both dark and depressing, but it was so impeccably directed, written, and acted that it's well worth the discomfort. Ha!