Buried

Filmed in only seventeen days, this film Ryan Reynolds has said is the toughest thing he has ever done and would never do it again. The majority of the population will swear to not being claustrophobic, but I feel that after watching this brilliant film, every one is a little freaked out by closed small spaces. Buried alive, Paul Conroy (Reynolds) is armed with nothing more than a zippo lighter with God knows how little fuel, an ink pen (probably from the fine Sanford people) and an Iraqi Blackberry (Iraqberry, if you will) with half a battery, his anxiety medicine, a pocket knife and finally a glimmer of hope, a flask with what I assume to be liquor in it. He has no idea his whereabouts and is quickly beginning to freak out. He must conserve both his oxygen and his phone battery. He desperately calls numbers to filter through the channels of the American bureaucracy to try and free himself. He eventually finds out from the kidnappers it's all about ransom money. He is merely an American truck driver working over there during the war when his convoy is ambushed. He is not military, so why would anyone pay a million dollars for his life? Easily one of the most intense films I have ever watched and it was absolutely stunning. It was beautiful in a sense. How the director could get so much out of a one man movie contained 100% inside a wooden box. The camera angles alone puts you in that position. I found myself constantly thinking of who I would be calling for help and what my next move would be. Just when we think it's about to be over, Bam, another gripping scene. Brilliantly crafted and not a bit slow. You feel Paul's pain, his anxiety, and his will too survive. I have never and probably will never again see a film where there are so many total minutes broken down into segments of seconds of total blackness throughout. We cannot see anything which is why it's brilliant. Heavy Breathing only at times. No breathing at other times gives us a sense of calmness from Paul. No flashbacks. Only what Paul explains to the "channels" is how we know the details of his current situation. I knew I would like it, but I had no idea. It may be hard to stomach for some of you, but if very little bothers you from a cinematic element, then I highly recommend this movie.

NBM rates Buried - A Work of Cinematic Art (Crazy, huh?)

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