Buried

The year 2010 presented us with two survival movies dealing with a single character struggling to stay alive: Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours” (2010) and Rodrigo Cortés’s “Buried” (2010), both movies showing its main protagonists trapped in life-threatening situations. The survival-horror genre minus the “Saw” series has been revived again with these films by showing the dire circumstances that can befall any ordinary man.

 

In the recently announced Oscar nominations, James Franco has been nominated in the Best Actor category for his gutsy performance in “127 Hours.” I thought Ryan Reynolds would be nominated for this performance in “Buried,” but then that would mean two actors receiving nominations for similar roles. Nonetheless, critics praised “Buried” for constructing perfect realism along with Ryan Reynolds’s best performance so far. The film was initially released in January, 2010, at the Sundance Film Festival, and it only received a limited theatrical release in the fall of 2010 through Lionsgate. Produced on a paltry budget of $1.8 million,” Buried” ended up pocketing $18 million at the box-office.

 

Ryan Reynolds stars as Paul Conroy, a contract truck driver in Iraq. Soon, we find out that his convoy was attacked by the insurgents, thereby killing everyone in the vehicle. Instead of taking him hostage, the insurgents bury Paul alive in a wooden coffin in an unknown location. He is given a cellphone and a lighter, and his job is to arrange for $5 million after which his location will be revealed. What follows is Paul’s struggle to stay alive and make contact with the outside world. He calls his wife, the FBI office, and then finally the State Department office. The State officials with the help of ground forces try to locate Paul’s coffin. The question is: Will they find him in time before it is too late?

 

Claustrophobia, mental exhaustion, dehydration, and a lack of oxygen are some of the words that come to mind after watching Paul’s harrowing tale in “Buried.” The enclosed coffin does not give any room for Paul to maneuver; only a cellphone given to him is his best option to stay alive. Ryan Reynolds effortlessly expresses the anguish over the helplessness forced upon him. The opening scene is shot in pitch black with noises of someone struggling in an enclosed space, and soon an exasperated face appears. Thereafter, Reynolds’s captivating performance keeps us glued till the end.

It’s a film made with only one actor, a coffin, a cellphone, a lighter, and a couple of closely arranged cameras. The minimalist approach works well in capturing Paul’s emotions and his interaction with other people on the cellphone. With no supporting cast, “Buried” banks on how well Reynolds responds to people’s voices on the cellphone, and how he utilizes the things given to him to his advantage. Reynolds’s character goes through an emotional transformation that begins with a feeling of “where am I?” to despair, anguish, and finally a ray of hope. His character is intelligent, optimistic, and alert, and for a moment you may think he is a trained member of the armed forces. Reynolds’s realistic performance leaves a lasting psychological impression on the viewer, and in the end we do sympathize with Paul’s inescapable condition.

 

“Buried” presents an interesting scenario about war. It shows how innocent people are caught in the crossfire, and when it comes to helping them, numerous limitations of the system are exposed. Paul had to convince the government officials that he is trapped in a coffin, as they think he is crazy. It is obvious that the state help line is poorly equipped in handling a hostage crisis like this, at least when you think of Paul’s unique situation. As the script focuses on Paul’s captors, we learn that they are not terrorists in any real sense. The narrator on the other side explains the situation surrounding the insurgency in Iraq; the captors are unemployed people who have lost their families, homes, and towns as a result of the war. Apart from this relatively minor yet important detail about the captors, the film never glorifies their cause or forces any antiwar sentiment through the action of the captors.

Even though employing minimum technical equipment, “Buried” aces things in the technical department. The perfect cinematography captures Paul’s state and the darkness in the coffin. Mainly shot in near darkness, the film is a collection of close-ups of Paul’s body. With the focus on Paul’s face, the camera is able to convey Paul’s emotions and expressions appropriately. It’s like the camera is attached to his face, and we get glimpses of his body as he tries to battle in a confined space. In an imaginary scene, we see the top view of the coffin, with Paul’s helpless figure in it; the sides of the coffin are enveloped in complete darkness with only dim light on his face. It’s a beautiful shot expressing the breadth of Paul’s desperation and the ultimate hope in the form of light that might appear when the rescuers open his coffin. Indeed, there are other elements like the precise sound design that makes “Buried” a technical marvel.

There are minor flaws, too, like how difficult it is to locate a cellphone considering technological advancements. But issues aside, “Buried” manages to capture your attention with a number of positives and that’s what matters in the end.

Video:

“Buried” launches on Blu-ray with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded in an AVC codec. For a low-budget movie, “Buried” looks really good on Blu-ray. The film’s palette is obviously dark, mainly shot in dimly lit conditions.  Still, the close-ups reveal great detail. The skin tones are consistent and lifelike. There is a nice trace of grain that provides a film-like texture to the transfer. And the blacks are deep, with no trace of black crush.

Audio:

Lionsgate has included a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. For the most part, “Buried” is a dialogue affair, the dialogue clear and sharp throughout. The surround channels are triggered only in the aerial attacks, but the sound level is driven by what Paul hears inside the coffin. Therefore, the outside noises are deliberately lowered. So, don’t expect a full blast of surround sound in these scenes. Otherwise, this is a very good sounding track.

Extras:

The only bonus feature included is a regular making-of featurette, “Unearthing Buried.” The filmmakers discuss the plot and the characters. We also get technical insights on how the coffin was constructed and an explanation of how the cameras were arranged in the coffin. Ryan Reynolds talks about his character and the challenges involved in his role.

We also get an original theatrical trailer along with a teaser trailer, and a DVD copy of the movie.

Parting Thoughts:

The sexist man alive (voted by a popular magazine), Ryan Reynolds gives a compelling performance in “Buried,” and he entertains us throughout the entire duration. His performance is pivotal in making the film’s premise utterly believable. The movie is definitely not for the weak, as the entire experience is claustrophobic and emotionally draining, but it is rewarding in the end. Along with “127 Hours,” “Buried” is one of the best movies of 2010. To experience true human horror, you can’t go wrong with “Buried.”


Final Ratings:
Video = 8/10
Audio = 8/10
Extras = 3/10
Movie = 8/10