Rating of
4/4
If you hate small spaces, this ain't for you!
The Film Rebel - wrote on 01/25/11
Over the course of last year, a lot of the acting buzz was focused on two performances: James Franco and Colin Firth. People turned heads at Franco's amazing and emotion driven performance in 127 Hours and audiences were dazzled by Colin Firth's performance as King George VI in The King's Speech. I've not seen The King's Speech but I have seen 127 Hours, so since I've only seen one of those films, perhaps to early for me to say this. But, of all the performances I've seen in 2010, the award for the best goes to Ryan Reynolds for Buried!
Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, a contractor working in Iraq. One night, he's truck is attacked by terrorists. Leaving Paul unconscious. Paul wakes up in a coffin with nothing but a lighter, a cell phone, and various resources of light. With limited oxygen and a terrorist holding him for ransom, Paul fights to stay alive.
What's so incredible about Buried is what it does with its premise. Buried is nothing but a guy in a coffin. No dreams, no flashbacks, no nothing. If put in the hands of the wrong director, Buried would've been a 90 minute bore fest. However, in the hands of someone as talented as Cortes, Buried is a hell of a lot more. The camera angles, rotations, lighting, and musical score brings a lot to the movie so we're not bored the whole time. It creates suspense and as Paul rolls around in this coffin, we feel that we are in this coffin with him.
Aside from those aspects, one of the best is Ryan Reynolds as our protagonist, Paul Conroy. This whoe thing is a one man show. Reynolds does an excellent job of making this character seem human. As he makes his phone calls, we learn more about his character which helps us feel for him and relate to his frustration. He's just a normal guy who wants to get out of this alive. He's not some pampered douche bag. He's a flawed human being. Just an average Joe.
Buried is an excellent suspense thriller that hinges on the performance of the always talented Reynolds, a solid script, and a suspensful tone. As the Oscar nominations were announced today, I was dissapointed to see Reynolds without a nomination for his amazing performance. Hell, the score deserved a nomination! But oh well. I'm sure Buried will strive on DVD sales and viewings from people such as myself. If you haven't seen it, seek it out. Its one that should not be missed.
