NY Timeout - Anywhere—a bathroom stall, an East Village one-bedroom—would be preferable to where the entirety of Buried traps us: a wooden coffin, underground. It’s a cackleworthy conceit for a B thriller, exactly the kind of crafty stunt that Hitchcock would have loved, in his Rope mode. Down there in the box with us is Ryan Reynolds, who, playing an innocent Iraq-based contractor, finds himself a pawn in a hostage game that quickly involves a multimillion-dollar ransom ask and lots of panicky, politicized dialogue.
Back in 2010, there were two popular movies released which take place entirely (or almost entirely) in a confined space wherein a man is trapped and fighting for his life.
CPC:
Buried is a suspenseful masterpiece of minimalism that would put a smile on Hitchcock’s face.
With Buried, Rodrigo Cortes proves he could very well become a force to be reckoned with. Built on such a simple (and seemingly boring at first) premise, Cortes makes Buried one of the most enthralling and captivating movies of the year. With so little to work with, it’s a wonder, as you watch entranced, how Cortes could draw so much from such a film. This is the way minimalism is supposed to be done. Buried, a suspense thriller that even Hitchcock would be proud of, is so masterfully executed by the new director that you can’t help but marvel at what transpires on the screen while, at the same time, feeling so unnerved that you can’t turn away.
Great review JL! And I concur. Buried delivered the most shocking ending of any movie this year. Cortes, as a director, is on the fast track to stardom.
Glad you enjoyed it Matt. Definitely was quite an ending. That last like 10 minutes really just hammers you. I'll definitely be looking out to see what Cortes is doing next.
Week 2 of That Movie Podcast's challenge to watch 2 movies a day during 2011 and chronicling their thoughts on the second week.
