“Buried” is the kind of movie that has the potential to either make you yell that it was the worst movie you’d ever seen or praise it as genius, according to the different outspoken reactions in Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
It all depends on what kind of moviegoer you are. While the plot can be frustrating, Rodrigo Cortés’ “Buried” is a marvel of filmmaking.
Featuring Ryan Reynolds as a civilian truck driver who finds himself buried in a coffin several feet below ground, the film is notable for its use of only one visible actor, in a small, dark place, for the entire 95 minutes.
Reynolds’ and our only link to the outside world is his cell phone, as he seeks a way out of the ransom plot in which he has unknowingly become entangled.
The film is engaging for two reasons. The first is obviously the setting, since the film takes place only in the coffin, denying the audience an escape either.
However, although the camera often zooms in on Reynolds and makes us feel almost as claustrophobic and anxious as he is, it also zooms out, emphasizing the depth of the coffin and Reynolds’ isolation, and reminding us of our safety. Actually, most of what makes the film work is Ryan Reynolds himself.
Reynolds is a great comedic actor and draws the ladies and the gents for his looks and humor, but who knew he could carry an entire movie quite literally on his own?
His anguished expressions and cries and the physical discomfort he shows in the coffin are convincing without being excessive.
When his yelps and screams begin to verge on amusing, he reins in the histrionics and keeps his struggle realistic without becoming ridiculous.
On the other hand, the captor in the film is inadvertently silly, with his stilted, heavily accented English which sounded vaguely Hispanic and far from threatening.
Thankfully, Reynolds adds intentional levity with his signature sarcasm. When discussing his ransom plot over the phone, the official on the other end asks what will happen if he doesn’t get the money to his captor.
“I get to go to SeaWorld,” Reynolds deadpans. “What do you think?”
His frustration with cold, skeptical people who ask unimportant questions like what his social security number is as his time is running out is unexpectedly funny, but also a depressing picture of what a person in his situation would probably encounter in real life.
At the same time, Reynolds’ capture as an innocent civilian is chilling for its echoes of recent media reports of similar situations.
Cortés hides no part of his disdain for the modern government’s lack of interest for these cases, and paints corporate America as downright callous during a call with Reynolds’ employer.
Ultimately, though, “Buried” is less political than just plain gripping, enhanced by the dramatic music and sudden, spinning camera work a la Hitchcock, which often changes the mood of the film from nearly hopeful to stressful and back again.
What you make of “Buried” will depend on how you approach films, but what’s for sure is that it’s a unique spin on a traditional thriller that serves its purpose ““ gluing you to your seat the whole time, for better or for worse.