Buried

UK Release: 29th September 2010

Watched on DVD: Wednesday 19th December 2012

Rating: 15

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Runtime: 1hr 35mins

Tagline: Paul Conroy has just woken up buried 6 feet underground. He has a mobile phone. 90 minutes of oxygen. And no way out.

IMDb Plot Synopsis: Waking groggy in pitch darkness, Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working in Iraq in 2006, slowly realizes he is trapped inside a wooden coffin, buried alive. With his cigarette lighter, he can see the trap he is in, and he quickly realizes that there's not enough air for him to live long. He finds within the coffin a working cellphone, which allows him contact with the outside world. But the outside world proves not to be very helpful at finding a man buried in a box in the middle of the Iraqi desert. Paul must rely on his best resource--himself.

My Review: I seemed to have watched a lot of intense films recently and this one is pretty high up there! Buried alive in the middle of the Iraqi desert - that’s pretty nail biting. Add to that only being left with a phone and a cigarette lighter and at one point sharing the coffin with a deadly snake... well, let’s just say I jumped at more than one point. 

Despite being set in one very confined space it was still very engaging to watch with some creative shots that didn’t make you feel bored at all. And while the plot was a little thin in places and I became a tad frustrated with his ‘survival techniques’ you can’t help but think that, actually, if you were in that situation you’d probably be panicking and make one or two mistakes too.

Ryan Reynolds did an amazing job with this film. As the only one screen actor and being in every single scene, the pressure was on, but he managed to do a great job at not only making it feel believable but also incredibly emotional. I literally had no idea how it could end and even then I sat there in shock as the credits rolled. The last act was just so gripping I physically sighed in relief that it was over but also agog and how it could have ended like that. 

Essentially it is one of those ground-breaking films that you should definitely see - just be prepared to have every last ounce of energy and emotion drained out of you.

Score: 8/10