Buried: Six feet under
Watch Buried as a last resort, and certainly not to get a deep insight into the atrocity of war.
It’s unfortunate that Buried was released around the same time as 127 Hours, inviting endless comparisons between the two films. The premise of both movies is similar — a healthy young male gets stuck in a secluded place, and has to rely only on his own resources to get out of the fix. The difference is that 127 Hours is infinitely more gripping and believable — and Ryan Reynolds, who stars in Buried, is at best a poor man’s James Franco.
Reynolds stars as Paul Conroy, an American contractor in Iraq who is captured by insurgents and buried alive somewhere in the Iraqi desert with only a cell phone, a lighter and some alcohol to keep him company. His captors call him to demand a $5 million ransom, or he’ll never see the light of day — literally. The next 90 minutes are spent watching Paul desperately trying to contact his family and the relevant US officials who may be able to secure his release. Paul also struggles to master his own fears and handle the situation as best he can given his ‘restricted’ environment.
All the ‘action’ takes place inside the coffin Paul is buried in. Despite this, the film doesn’t create an adequate air of claustrophobia — I felt much more uncomfortable watching The Descent, another trapped-underground film, compared to Buried. The film was literally shot in a box, and that is exactly what the coffin feels like — the viewer can’t really feel the weight of the earth above Conroy. The impact of Conroy’s situation would have been heightened if the coffin scenes were juxtaposed with action taking place above but as it stands, Conroy’s predicament isn’t moving or relatable.
This is not to say that Reynolds’ performance is below par. The actor does manage to engage you just enough to make you want to know the outcome, but there is only so much plot you can fit into a box — and the film falls apart when the story begins to rely on typical creep-inducing standbys like rattlesnakes and bugs.
Even the themes the film tries to touch are done to death. While attempting to get help from the US State Department and the contractor that employs him, Conroy encounters run-of-mill obstacles: he is put on hold for long stretches of time, and is summarily fired by his employer over the phone. It is implied that Conroy has been fired so his firm can avoid a hefty lawsuit, but this twist doesn’t cause the indignation it intended to create — we all know the US war machine cuts its losses at the earliest opportunity, right?
That said, the ending isn’t predictable... but then again, it’s not exactly satisfying either. Watch Buried as a last resort, and certainly not to get a deep insight into the atrocity of war.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 20th, 2011.
Reynolds stars as Paul Conroy, an American contractor in Iraq who is captured by insurgents and buried alive somewhere in the Iraqi desert with only a cell phone, a lighter and some alcohol to keep him company. His captors call him to demand a $5 million ransom, or he’ll never see the light of day — literally. The next 90 minutes are spent watching Paul desperately trying to contact his family and the relevant US officials who may be able to secure his release. Paul also struggles to master his own fears and handle the situation as best he can given his ‘restricted’ environment.
All the ‘action’ takes place inside the coffin Paul is buried in. Despite this, the film doesn’t create an adequate air of claustrophobia — I felt much more uncomfortable watching The Descent, another trapped-underground film, compared to Buried. The film was literally shot in a box, and that is exactly what the coffin feels like — the viewer can’t really feel the weight of the earth above Conroy. The impact of Conroy’s situation would have been heightened if the coffin scenes were juxtaposed with action taking place above but as it stands, Conroy’s predicament isn’t moving or relatable.
This is not to say that Reynolds’ performance is below par. The actor does manage to engage you just enough to make you want to know the outcome, but there is only so much plot you can fit into a box — and the film falls apart when the story begins to rely on typical creep-inducing standbys like rattlesnakes and bugs.
Even the themes the film tries to touch are done to death. While attempting to get help from the US State Department and the contractor that employs him, Conroy encounters run-of-mill obstacles: he is put on hold for long stretches of time, and is summarily fired by his employer over the phone. It is implied that Conroy has been fired so his firm can avoid a hefty lawsuit, but this twist doesn’t cause the indignation it intended to create — we all know the US war machine cuts its losses at the earliest opportunity, right?
That said, the ending isn’t predictable... but then again, it’s not exactly satisfying either. Watch Buried as a last resort, and certainly not to get a deep insight into the atrocity of war.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 20th, 2011.