I have seen a few decent claustrophobic thrillers. One that comes to mind is the 2005 Thriller Jacket. Generally, this genre allows the audience out of the box through flash backs, back story or through the development of the story. Buried diverges from the easy path creating an entire drama inside a buried coffin. The restraint created some difficulties, but was effective at establishing tension.
Buried opens with a dark screen. We hear movement before a light appears. We are inside a coffin with Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) who has fumbled in the dark and found his lighter. We realize, at the same time as Conroy, that he is buried alive. There are a few things in the coffin with Conroy, including a cell phone, a flashlight that only halfway works, his lighter, some alcohol and a couple of luminescent tubes.
Conroy is unaware of the cell phone until it rings. He manages to grab the cell phone, which is near his feet, and begins make frantic calls back to the United States. He eventually makes contact with a General, responsible for locating him, as well as his captors. The captors are demanding five million dollars, which they eventually reduce to one million. Conroy is in a race against the clock. Will the ransom be paid? Will he be found? Will he escape on his own? These thoughts create the tension that propels the film forward.
While the suspense elements were interesting, it gets tiring when you can never leave the box. It may help create stress for the audience as well, but was made even more tiring by the incessant ranting of the lead character. The writers did a good job of setting up the scenario so the camera never needs to leave the box, but it felt forced at times. They explain the short temper on claustrophobia, but it really gets tiring to watch. Conroy is his own worst enemy and it doesn't do anything to endear him to the audience. While the ploy works to explain the plot it backfires by forcing the audience away from the lead character. It is an interesting concept but had plenty of room for improvement. Maybe they boxed themselves in a bit too much.
It is never easy for one actor to carry an entire film. The film Locke (Tom Hardy) was one of those rare films where the approach was well delivered. While we hear voices on the other end of Conroy's cell phone, the only actor we actually see in this film is Reynolds. Reynolds is a likable actor, but the script got on my nerves in this film, which made it hard for me to like his character. The performance felt overdone at times. I will give Reynolds credit for creating enough tension to keep me interested in the suspense aspect of the film, but whenever he lost his temper it got under my skin. It was partially the script and partially his acting. It just didn't work at times.
It is odd to me that this film was rated R by the MPAA. The film has strong language, but that is it. Actually, there is a bit of violence. There was also a self-inflicted injury that wasn't very graphic...in fact, you could barely tell what happened. Overall, this film is intense at times, but not "R" intense. I would allow preteens to see it. The one hour, 35 minute run time is a bit short, but feels longer than it is.
Buried is somewhat unique as a thriller. It may not be the first of its kind, but it chooses to take a path that required creativity by the writers. While the film has some creative elements, it is also contrived. The tension is created by the single character we meet, often to excess. This costs the lead character some credibility as well as liability. I enjoyed this film for what it is, but found myself disappointed at times. It could have been much better but was still worth watching. Free. On a rainy day. 6.5/10.
