User Reviews

Buried seems to be a very divisive film. I'm seeing lots of 1 star reviews, and lots of 8-10 star reviews.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

I won't rehash the plot, as every other review seems to. I will say that the movie is extremely taut, claustrophobic, well-paced and tense, and that at every step you will believe that this man - who has woken up buried alive - is desperate to survive and is trying to come up with a possibility of escape.

The reason that this movie is getting so many 1 star reviews is because it is REALISTIC. Yes, REALISTIC.

I imagine most of the reviewers giving it low scores are viewers who don't yet have the maturity to face up to a hopeless situation. Most movies these days give the hero impossible odds to overcome, and he DOES overcome them... because it's a movie. In real life impossible odds means that you fail, you lose. Say goodbye.

Well, the odds are impossible in this movie. The main character wakes up in a box with almost zero mobility. The air supply is limited. He has only a lighter and a mobile phone (initially). He is in a foreign country, with no knowledge of his precise location. It is a nightmare situation. The odds are practically impossible. Yet we do believe that survival is possible. No, we almost DEMAND it. We hope and we pray that he will get out of that box. We empathise completely with his situation, but we believe there must be a way out.

And that is why the movie is garnering such a mixed response. He doesn't get out. It was doomed from the start. He's been put in there by men who don't give a damn whether he survives or not. By men who've killed other innocent people and will continue to do so because their country is war torn and they are angry and desperate. His only hope is the US government and a hostage working group, whom he communicates with by phone. Every conversation is an exchange of information, with Reynolds's character offering whatever information he can in exchange for vague promises of help, and the various people on the other end of the phone having their own agendas and needs. But ultimately what can they do? His location is unknown and his phone is untraceable. They're looking for a needle in a dusty haystack. He can't get himself out and they can't find him to get him out.

Read all of the 1 star reviews for comments like "why didn't the guy just use the knife to dig himself out?" and "he wastes oxygen using the zippo for light, what an idiot". He doesn't use the knife because every crack in the box lets sand in, and without the manoeuvrability to stand up, he would increase the speed at which he is buried. Remember, he cannot sit up, reach past his thighs, or even lift his head all the way up. And he uses the zippo for light because the alternative is to save oxygen while sitting there in the dark waiting for death. Action requires the use of resources, but only action gives the hope for success. Everyone seems to criticise his actions but I haven't yet seen a plausible escape plan offered up.

If you're the type of person who thinks that if you were buried alive you would simply one-inch-punch your way out Kill Bill style then you're not going to like Buried. It's as simple as that, because your solution is fantasy and you will have no interest in seeing how such a situation would actually play out.

This movie is about THE CHARACTER's choices. It's about what HE chooses to do for survival. If the viewer has the wisdom to accept the reality of the situation presented, and the understanding that this isn't some safe video game puzzle but rather a man's struggle to not die alone in a box somewhere in Iraq then they will find this movie hauntingly powerful.

If you only want happy endings and the overcoming of impossible odds then you will probably hate this film. It will upset your delicate notion that life is sparkly and everything works out for the best. You will probably give it 1 star and explain how you would have killed the snake, cut off it's tail and used it as a hose to breathe through.

But one thing's for sure: it will get under your skin and it will evoke a REACTION from you. And isn't that what good cinema is about anyway? See this film. You might hate it. But at least it will make you THINK.

Well somebody, somewhere, thought this was a good idea for a movie treatment. Having only seen Ryan Reynolds in super-hero flicks (Green Lantern, Deadpool), I wasn't sure how he'd do in this story about a guy stuck in and buried in a coffin in the middle of the Iraqi desert. For about ninety five minutes you have to live and experience Paul Conroy's (Reynolds) desperate attempt to find a way out while the terrorist who's holding him hostage underground demands payment in exchange for his life and that of his fiancee in the outside world. If you have claustrophobia, you might have a little problem with this picture; besides the confined space it's mostly dark except for what light is provided by a cigarette lighter. With a cell phone left behind by the man who imprisoned him, Conroy does his best with limited means to think outside the box and call anyone who might be able to offer help. The twist ending suggests this story might have better been served in a slightly shortened format appearing in a venue like the 'Twilight Zone', or on second thought, make that 'Tales From the Crypt'.

1. Seeing what a good actor Ryan Reynolds is in this movie is what made me excited for Deadpool. He is literally the only actor in the movie, and he is confined to a box approximately seven by four feet. That's the entire movie, for ninety minutes. And I could not look away.

2. The opening scenes are frightening. Those off-centre shots of his terrified face, frozen as the light vanishes as soon as it appears are somewhat reminiscent of a horror movie like The Blair Witch Project.

3. The way the light illuminates the screen creates an intensity in itself, as Paul's small sources of light go through their degrees of reliability are frightening, especially with Paul's heavy breathing in the darkness reminding us that things go on even when we can't see them.

4. The screenplay's dialogue is flawless. Paul is disoriented in his panic, as would be anyone in the situation, but rather than delaying the story it actually creates the atmosphere even more. The unhelpful conversations as Paul tries to contact them make you frustrated just as Rodrigo Cortes continues to stifle you with the sense of claustrophobia.

5. The most frightening thing about Buried is that its entirely believable. Movies like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield are scary because "what if" but a movie like Buried would be a nightmare for anyone who has ever spent time in the Middle East.

6. That ending will straight up rip you in half.

7. There needs to be more movies like Buried.

In 90 mins, you will see how fast this Blackberry battery goes, and how stupid Paul is trying to get himself out from the coffin.

Okay, this is probably a man's worst nightmare - buried alive. But in this movie, no fancy story behind, but just about war, terrorists, govt, etc. The most boring boring boring element.

So here we goes, with a phone that actually have reception, a zippo lighter, a knife, there are lots of ways to try to get himself out, but in every ways he does, he did it the wrong way.

Now I think even an idiot knows we need oxygen to stay alive, and in this case, our Paul seems to think there are actually too much oxygen for him, so he decided to light up the zippo and burn as much as oxygen every time he make a stupid phone call!!!! COME ON PAUL!!! I don't see Paul is getting smart but with a phone he probably could just call anyone that able to help him. But he chose to trust the US Govt. Alright, that's your call Paul, but when his company, FBI and whatever dealing-with-hostage-expert cannot help, Paul, You'd better think of something better.

Here is my favorite part, a fxxking snake came from no where, suddenly appear in Paul's pants and then get out. Okay, I can live with that, becoz when a snake could get in, and Paul have a knife, he could probably at least try to break the coffin and dig his way out! Nah, our Paul still think he has enough oxygen and let's burn the snake heck out! Blah blah blah that with that lawsuit phone call from his company, what the hell??? There are ways to make Paul desperate but this part is just a really sick cheap shot!!!! I don't really see how Paul is getting himself out, but just watching him die every minute closer.

Some people might think they not gonna buy a blackberry phone becoz the battery run out in 90 mins. =p Some people might think Paul might get out and let's see how he do it. But no, he is dead becoz he's stupid.

Some people might think what the heck, I just want to watch a movie for fun... OOPS, "Buried" is not fun either.

So that's it, there's no way Paul could live, why don't we give a chance to some other movies?

The concept of this film is enough to engage – partly because it has the "one line" simplicity that can make for a great idea but also it poses the question, beyond how will Paul get out of his coffin, quite how are they going to make a 90 minute film out of one actor alone in the dark. This question is all the more relevant when one considers that, no offence, the "one actor" is Ryan Reynolds – who at times in other projects seemed like the only way he would be the best actor in a film was if he was the only actor in the film.

All questions are answered though in this flawed film that is engaging in the concept even if some of the delivery is rather heavy-handed, political or just stretched. First and foremost the film is brave in holding to the central idea – it never leaves the coffin and it is well shot to create enough space for the viewer in there, but not to surrender the idea of how confined it all it. Opening with no dialogue and a dark screen for a long period of time is a good start and it mostly holds to this idea as the viewer is stuck with him and very aware of his desperation. This aspect is never done wrong. How to fill the time then? Well there is a mobile with limited battery and for the most part the action outside comes through here, with the film taking Paul through anger, pleading, hope, despair, hope again only to leave him with death and the viewer with a depressing but memorable ending. Again this as a journey is engaging and affecting – it is just how the film does it where the problems come in.

The politicking feel to it is my first problem. OK it is not overly heavy (some of it could be explained away as creating tension or drama) but there is an air of condemnation for being in Iraq and a sense that perhaps we (Paul) were not fully prepared for the reality of it. Secondly there is a real heavy and unrealistic dig at Paul's employers as with his last bar of battery life (which seems to last longer than the other 80% of the battery) he is informed of his dismissal so the company can save money on insurance after his death; OK again it fills time and creates a feeling in the audience but it doesn't ring true and it seems heavily done. On a non-political side, the fire and the snake are a bit stretched but again they do create a bit of drama and fill time. The ending is harsh but effective as we have our hopes raised that the cavalry will literally save the day, only to have one last twist that will leave you feeling like you have been kicked in the stomach.

Much to my surprise Reynolds does a great job. He holds the screen without having to rely on his good looks or body. Previously I have only really enjoyed him for his jock wit but here he had me convinced as he went through the cycle of fear, anger, pleading, acceptance and hope. It was a really great performance in a small indie film. Paterson's voice is well used, he sounds realistic and works well with Reynolds. Tobolowsky does sound like a man who sits behind a desk sees names as liabilities and cost rather than people.

Overall Buried is a brave indie movie in concept but being "different" doesn't mean it is brilliant (I think some love it for what it is rather than what it does). The central idea is engaging and it is well enough executed to keep the viewer held even if some of the stuff that fills the time can be unconvincing or rather heavy-handed in terms of political comment.

I enjoyed watching Buried, even though I was disappointed and sad in not experiencing toward Buried a strong feeling of anxiety, fear, depression and breath running out of me. I didn't feel heart-pounded by this movie, nor did I think the movie was great and truly irresistible. The movie did make me a tiny bit anxious a few times during the watch though, and that's one thing, but not as much as I would have expected of course. One of the things I admired in Buried was its twists. I didn't expect most or any of these twists, but when I say I didn't expect them I actually mean to say that I completely didn't expect them. These twists are great and they will blow your mind. Believe me, you won't see them coming. When it comes to Ryan Reynolds, I think that his performance was unusually impressive and a performance worth remembering for at least a decade to come. I also like the fact that Ryan Reynolds's character is trying to get help in order to escape from the claustrophobic trap in which he is imprisoned, by calling on a phone he has with him, but as the movie continues on, Ryan Reynolds' character, instead, begins getting a call telling him of an inappropriate and illegal action from his own part inside his job, and that therefore, the people calling him and the people that have been trying to rescue him from the beginning, will not try to rescue him anymore and will leave him to his fate. I like it, because it adds more dramatic conflict --and originality-- to the plot. Other good things with this film include the fact that the movie starts right off the bat with Reynold's character having already been buried alive underground (someplace we don't know), rather than starting the film with what happened that led to his underground burial, because it makes the film more mysterious that way (and an efficient way to start a film as well), plus making Reynolds die at the end of the movie (through a surprising twist), rather than make him live in order to trick the audience's wish that he'll live, which is of course, artistic filmmaking. My rating for the movie is 7.0/10

My rating: 3.5/5 Honestly this movie looks like it was made with a budget of $1000! And most probably the director have used a wooden box with Ryan Reynolds in it and few cameras in the whole 135 minutes. But despite all that, seriously 'Buried' is not a bad movie at all. It's just purely new and tense to look at and more enjoyable than many other high budgeted, cast crowded flicks. Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds-The Proposal, Just Friends) is a truck driver who works in Iraq. After getting ambushed and attached by insurgents he gets buried alive in a wooden coffin under the desert sand. Its rather a box which is a little spacious than a usual coffin which immediately comes to our minds but not spacious enough to be comfortable. He discover a lighter, torch and a cellphone and some other small stuff which makes sense when the plot start to reveal its true colors. Later its exposed that rebels expects to demand a ransom and so the story goes. What purely fascinates me is that the movie never, I repeat never leaves the wooden coffin. There are lot happens in the box and lot of interaction with the outside world but all other people involved are limited to voice acting. This gives an immense opportunity for the viewer to be practically get stuck in the box with the main character and just feel how he must be feeling. On top of that the fear mixed up rage and frustration which builds up is wonderfully crafted throughout the movie. I'm not gonna give out any spoilers about the ending or what really happens in the box coz I really enjoyed the movie coz I never knew much about it. Ryan Reynolds does a wonderful job with his character. The roll is very tough with limited moving space and lot of overflowing emotions. Very good work done there for sure. And hats off to the sounds crew including the dramatic score which play and huge part all the time. More than any other movie the sounds really becomes so important in this as visuals are not the key player for your imagination. Overall 'Buried' is a very nice and scary experience. If you ask anyone about their most deepest fears are, buried alive would be in the list. Coz I know as it remain on a top position of my list.

This is one of these films that works best when you have absolutely no knowledge about because it's going to be difficult keeping the ending a secret three years after the film was released . Unfortunately for me and a large proportion of people the bleak nihilistic ending became common knowledge via word of mouth very quickly . Does this mean it's not worth seeing if you know the ending ? Not necessarily because I enjoyed THE SIXTH SENSE despite knowing the ending to that movie before I saw it and BURIED isn't a film that relies one hundred per cent on its ending

What the film is very good at is communicating the fear hope and despair of its protagonist Paul Conroy who after being captured by insurgents finds himself buried alive inside a coffin somewhere in Iraq . Commendably the producers have resisted the temptation that the action cuts between the protagonist and those trying to save him . But then you stop to realise this is probably down to budget . It's an independent production filmed in Barcelona so cutaways to offices in Washington and Baghdad and above surface in wartorn Iraq would have pushed up the budget , BURIED is a film that out of production necessity contains the narrative to one location of that of the interior of the coffin . That said it is a very effective claustrophobic drama that Hitchcock would have been proud of . Indeed the title gives gives a nod to the master of suspense , so much so you might expect the words " Directed By Alfred Hitchcock " to appear

One aspect BURIED does touch upon is the politics of Iraq . There is some heavy handed commentary that becomes more and more pronounced as the story continues This seems to have alienated a few of the more respected commentators on this site and let's face it Paul's employers effectively stating " Oh you're buried alive ? Oh sorry we've got to cancel your contract then - goodbye Mr Conroy " doesn't ring true . Where the political subtext does work better is by having Dan Brenner the head of the Hostage Working Group played by a Briton . The Hostage Working Group was a 30 strong working group set up by the US State Department . It's unlikely a non American would be so prominent in this organization but yet the film makes the point that the invasion of Iraq was an Anglo/American alliance . The failure of Brenner to save Conroy can be seen as a failure of political will by the British to save the Southern sector of Iraq from violent Shia militias who imposed a reign of terror on the secular civilian population of that region , a situation only rectified by an American and Iraqi army led operation to eliminate the militias much to the humiliation of the British army

In short this is a very effective low budget independent feature that'll stay in your memory and shows an audience and what can be done with a simple premise and a low budget . The politics of the film might be a bone of contention to some but let's face it - no one was apolitical when it came to the invasion of Iraq

If this doesn't remain in my top five come year-end I will be shocked. Who thought that a movie can not only sustain a full 90mins stuck within the confines of a coffin (and believe me, it doesn't leave the coffin) but that it would be one of the most cinematic and audacious pieces of cinema I've seen in a good few years? Like this year's Inception and Toy Story 3, movies like Buried are the reason I love cinema. It is escapism at it's best, ironic considering the setting. Who thought Ryan Reynolds, Van Wilder: Party Liaison himself could be so utterly mesmerising in such a challenging role? The movie is literally his. Sure, there are those he speaks to over the phone (he's buried with a Zippo and a Blackberry) but for the film's length, he is the only physical presence on screen. He goes through every emotion possible: fear, panic, anger, sadness, happiness, depression, acceptance, and all of it played so convincingly that you almost wonder whether they genuinely buried the actor and left a camera in there with him.

There are minor gripes, all predominantly found in the first half. It feels somewhat episodic at times and there's a lack of any real tension during the first forty minutes but this is a pressure cooker of a film and the last half is unrelenting to the point of nausea, culminating in a truly great finale that caused me to shout-out in the quiet, near empty cinema.

Buried is extraordinary. The only performance to beat Reynolds' in recent years is Sam Rockwell's stunning turn in Moon. High concept thrillers like this rise or fall on the delivery of their challenging set ups. Fortunately, Buried works.

It really, really works.

Seriously this movie is just disappointing!!! A very, very stupid guy in a coffin trying to figure out how to survive but doing absolutely nothing worthwhile for 90 minutes... :( It takes a few minutes then you really dislike the guy! OK so its very sad for him he's buried alive in a coffin! I'll give him that! But after fumbling around with the Zippo lighter for what feels like YEARS - he should get the point! He's in a coffin - he needs the oxygen and YET HE KEEPS BURNING THE STUPID ZIPPO LIGHTER! Even after he finds a telephone with more light than the Zippo he still uses the LIGHTER who consumes all his oxygen.... ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? And everyone who's ever held a Zippo knows how hot it gets if you burn it a long time... Not only that but he spends most of his time talking to people who gives a damn... or doesn't believe him or he's horribly rude to people! And so many things are just done for the action and are so not believable... The snake for instance... if it can get IN the coffin and OUT again so can he! But no he has to use the brandy or whatever it is in the cantina to start a fire and burn all the oxygen! He has the knife from the bag that he doesn't find before the KIDNAPPER informs him its there although it has LOTS of thing in it! And whats up with that ridiculous call from his employers?!? Even people who doesn't know ANYTHING about lawsuits and insurance can hear that he should hang up that call after just the first few sentences but he just lies there and answers! Seriously after that I almost wish he just dies! Thats how obnoxious he is! Thats how illogical he is... He keeps doing so many stupid things in that coffin that you just can't believe it!!! And yes its not even original - People have been buried alive in movies so many times - and yes the CSI episode probably is fresh in memory but at least Nick Parker doesn't behave like an obnoxious little brat for 90 minutes so I'd rather watch that episode ten times than having to ever re watch this horrible, horrible movie!!!!