BlackSheep
"95 minutes in a box"
The best "unknown" movie reviewer in action
Join | Log In
Rating:
BURIED
+3
Written by Chris Sparling
Directed by Rodrigo Cortes
Starring Ryan Reynolds
Jabir: You are terrified so I am terrorist?
I suspect claustrophobia likely affects more people than actually realize it. Feeling trapped without any real means of escape, either physically or metaphorically, is certainly something we can all agree is unpleasant at the least. In extreme cases, your breath gets short and quick; you begin to feel dizzy and flush. You are likely to pass out from the sheer intensity of it all. If you have yet to go through a claustrophobic episode, fear not. Director Rodrigo Cortes has made a movie just for you.
BURIED is ninety-five uninterrupted minutes stuck in a cramped wooden box somewhere under the ground in Iraq, with only a Zippo lighter and cell phone for light, communication and a potential salvation. Now, if you’ve got to be buried alive, you couldn’t ask for better company than Ryan Reynolds. Naturally, nobody wants to see an actor as likable and handsome as Reynolds perish like this, so the urgency is elevated just by his being cast. He can’t get by on looks and charisma alone though. The premise itself demands that Reynolds push himself as an actor in a way that I don’t think he has ever had to in his entire career. Fortunately, Reynolds gets the fear, the desperation and the hope just right to keep us trapped in that box with him the whole time. For his sake, I hope Reynolds isn’t actually claustrophobic. If he wasn’t beforehand, I suspect he might be now.
In case you’re wondering how he got in the box to begin with, allow me to clarify some. Reynolds plays a contract truck driver in Iraq mistaken for a soldier and kidnapped for ransom. He spends most of his time in the box calling anyone who might be able to get him out and pleading with his captors. The somewhat damning undertone about America and the Iraq war could have been buried a little deeper within the subtext but Cortes pulls off a pretty impressive feat with this hard sell. Ninety-five minutes in a box with Ryan Reynolds? I wouldn’t say no.
Thanks for reading.
For more Black Sheep reviews,
just click the link below ...
blacksheepreviews.com
What did you think of this review?
Helpful
15
Thought-Provoking
15
Fun to Read
15
Well-Organized
15
Post a Comment
rmurray847
October 31, 2010
"Somewhat damning undertone."??!!?! I though the politics were offensive & insulting BS. You were far too kind. Good review. I agree about Reynolds...it's finally time to take him a little bit seriously.
BlackSheep
October 31, 2010
I think yes, I was a little nicer than I should have been but I didn't necessarily find the politics to be offensive. I just found them unnecessary and thrown in too obviously. The communication with the outside world angle was much more intriguing and they should have kept their focus there. But yes, Yay for Reynolds!
BlackSheep
October 31, 2010
Oh and thanks for reading. Did you see my interview with Reynolds?
show text editor
Butterfly1961
October 01, 2010
Good review on a movie I didn't know existed!! This one sounds pretty suspenseful and can only imagine what it would be like to be buried alive. Ewwww...
BlackSheep
October 02, 2010
I was actually at a product showcase the other day that had a coffin you could get in that closes and moves around to simulate being buried alive. Why anyone wanted to do it is beyond me. At least in this scenario, Ryan Reynolds is there.
Butterfly1961
October 02, 2010
Whoa - that IS creepy!! The only way I could even think of tolerating that would be if Johnny Depp was in there with me! LOL By the way, I featured this review on my little weekly highlight community message.
BlackSheep
October 03, 2010
Thanks for the feature!
show text editor
bettydravis
September 27, 2010
Hi, Sheepy, I would go nutso if inside a box... I can't imagine anything more frightening, but if I thought on it more, I'm sure my imagination would come up with something. ;-) This plot sounds exciting and this is a good review. Thanks for sharing. Betty Dravis
BlackSheep
October 02, 2010
Thanks for reading. I actually got the chance to interview both the director of the film and Ryan Reynolds and they are both really excited about it. It was a very low budget film and they did a lot with very little.
show text editor
TheJohn
September 26, 2010
Nice interesting read. I didn't know this took place in Iraq. I kept imagining it was a gangster kidnapping or other such thing. Man, something tells me that if I watch this, I'll feel the air around me getting hotter the light dimmer and my breath warmer as I start to choke on recycled air. 95 minutes in a box with Ryan Reynolds? Hey he seems cool. Could we exchange him for Rosario Dawson? HIYO! Okay okay. It's all good.
BlackSheep
September 26, 2010
The director actually does a good job of ensuring the audience doesn't lose it during the screening. It's tense and tight to start and , while it maintains the tension, the frame opens a little more as the film progresses so as not to give anyone an anxiety attack.
TheJohn
September 26, 2010
Thats good. I don't mind a suspense movie, but this sounded a little too suspenseful.
show text editor
woopak_the_thrill
September 26, 2010
I wanted to see this film but I held off and saw something else..like Zack Snyder's new animated film. How was Wallstreet 2 ?
BlackSheep
September 26, 2010
I didn't have any real interest in the owl movie but Wall Street wasn't bad. I'll be reviewing it later today.
show text editor
1
More Buried reviews
…Nope, this is not a review on the upcoming Ryan Reynolds “Green Lantern” flick but a review on “Buried”. Sorry!! There are three things that always serve me a nice spice of terror. Reality (as in it can happen), hopelessness and above all helplessness. I think helplessness is a more powerful element in human horror, since being helpless means that you can do nothing to help your cause; you can only depend on those around you to get you out … more
Comments (7)
Compliments (51)
**** out of **** The last time I saw a movie opening as cool as the one in "Buried" was when I looked upon the super-awesome opening to "Vacancy", which sadly lead to an ultimately mediocre film. I kind of expected that to happen with "Buried"; and then again I kind of didn't. I wasn't exactly thrilled about being locked in a coffin with Ryan Reynolds for a little over an hour and a half, but the film is much more than the premise suggests. The genius behind "Buried" is that … more
Comments (2)
Compliments (24)
Buried is not a pleasant movie, but it is a truthful one. The scenario remains all too plausible, and the interactions onscreen speak to a world that, for better or worse, we all have to live in. That grants it a memorable quality that goes beyond simple button pushing, and transforms its white-knuckle premise into something far more powerful. The film won’t leave you for a good long while after you see it; you may not like it, but you can’t help but admire it.
Comments (2)
Compliments (23)
review by rmurray847.
October 31, 2010
Paul Conroy, a private contractor, working as a truck driver in Iraq, wakes up after an ambush to discover he is inside a wooden coffin buried beneath the desert sand. He has nothing but a lighter, a flask with whiskey, some pills and a cell phone provided to him by his captors. He begins to make desperate calls for help as time drags on and his situation becomes more and more dire. This is the premise (and a large portion of the plot) of BURIED, an independent film from Spain, … more
Comment
Compliment
Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is an American truck driver that is working as a contractor in Irag in 2006, and one day he wakes up to nothing but pitch darkness. He feels around trying to figure out where he is, and with a lighter lights up to what he finds is a wooden coffin. As anyone would Paul begins to panic, and has starts screaming and banging on the sides of the coffin. Then he hears this buzzing noise and the coffin lights up, and Paul realizes it is a phone that someone has planted … more
Comments (5)
Compliments (32)
Buried could be describable as a claustrophobic suspense movie that sets a real time-clock to your p
If you're trying to get away from a deadly trap chances to fail are incredibly high. If you're trying to breathe the same air that you "burn" you're seriously out of time. And if you're trying to make a phone call to your loved ones be sure that you'll hardly get them home. These are some so-called "getaway theories" that I noticed from watching this movie. None of them I consider to be fresh news though. But was that a problem for … more
Comments (2)
Compliments (12)
Quick Tip by BlackSheep.
October 16, 2010
Anyone looking for a little more insight into how BURIED was made should check out my interview with Ryan Reynolds and director, Rodrigo Cortes .. http://blacksheepreviews.blogspot.com/2010/1...iews-ryan-reynolds.html
Comments (1)
Compliments (3)
About the reviewer
Joseph Belanger (BlackSheep)
Hello Lunchers. I am a thirty-something guy making his way in Toronto. I am a banker by day and a film critic the rest of the time. Sensitive, sharp and sarcastic are just a few words that start with … more
Consider the Source
Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.
You
BlackSheep
Your ratings:
Recent reviews by BlackSheep
About this movie
Buried is an upcoming Spanish-Australia-American indie thriller-horror film directed by Rodrigo Cortés. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Anne Lockhart and Ivana Miño.
Paul Conroy, a truck driver, awakens buried alive six feet underground with nothing but a lighter, a knife and a cell phone. Although he has no idea as to how he got there, he soon starts to remember what has happened to him.
The film revolves around Iraq-based American truck driver Paul Conroy (Reynolds), who, after being attacked by a group of Iraqis, finds himself buried alivein a wooden coffin, with only a lighter and a mobile phone to help him escape before the oxygen in the coffin runs out. Since its premiere at the Sundance FilmFestival, the film has generated considerable acclaim.
Movies, Action Movies, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Ryan Reynolds, Jose Luis Garcia Perez, Rodrigo Cortes, Robert Paterson, Ivana Mino
Cast:
Stephen Tobolowsky,
Samantha Mathis,
Ryan Reynolds,
Ivana Miño,
Robert Paterson,
José Luis García Pérez
Director:
Rodrigo Cortés
Genre:
Mystery
Release Date:
8 October 2010 (USA)
MPAA Rating:
R
Screen Writer:
Chris Sparling
Runtime:
1hr 34min
Studio:
Versus Entertainment
First to Review
- About Lunch
- Press
- FAQs
- Contact Us
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Sitemap
- Report Abuse
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.