The film stars Ryan Reynolds – and only Ryan Reynolds – who plays Paul Conroy, a simple truck driver working in Iraq who is abducted and buried alive prior to the start of the movie. The film opens with Conroy awakening to discover he is confined to a wooden coffin buried beneath the sand. Armed with a cell phone, a zippo lighter, and a limited amount of oxygen, the real time plot depicts Conroy attempting to get help from a seemingly oblivious and unconcerned outside world.
Ryan Reynolds delivers an emotionally charged performance in the role of Paul Conroy. We can feel the frustration of the character as he tries to remain calm despite the horrific situation, calling various family members and government officials who he thinks should be able to help. Through his emotion and facial expressions alone, we understand the complete backstory of Paul Conroy with only a few calls. He’s a civilian with no military training. He has a strained relationship with his family. And he’s a typical working class stiff who’s limited career options have landed him in a perilous situation on the other side of the world. As the only character on screen for the entire duration of the film, you’ll gain respect for Reynolds as an actor. It brought to mind another gem crafted in a similar way – the 2013 piece “Locke.”
Director Rodrigo Cortés works with a seemingly impossible task. Make a thrilling movie with a single actor in a single locale – a box buried underground. The real time format of 95 minutes (half of which feels like the opening credits) gives us all a sense of emergency. The situation is harrowing enough. Toss in a limited amount of light and a cell phone with a failing battery, and we have the perfect in ingredients for high tension stakes. As Paul Conroy converses with various voices on the other end of the phone, we can follow along the futile attempts at securing his location in time.
While Ryan Reynolds is the only actor, there are other inanimate characters involved. The truly claustrophobic nature of the setting is another important aspect of the story and the wood coffin that Paul is restricted to is itself another entity. The limited breadth and functionality of the zippo lighter is a great touch. When Paul activates the cell phone for the first time, my eyes instinctively went to the battery indicator – which is only half full. Paul’s watch becomes a character in the story as he continuously wipes sand from its face to see how much time he has left.
My only gripes with the movie are trivial. I would have excluded the score completely as I felt it detracted from the reality of the situation. And while excellent, it has little to no replay value – at least for me.
“Buried” is an excellent film that demonstrates a unique way of crafting a story. It’s a suspenseful thriller that will render you immobile as you watch, marveling at the performance of its star and director.
