Review of Buried (2010)

*contains some spoilers*

Daring and brave film that sticks to one tiny set, one actor and one plot, and manages to (mostly) pull it off.

The idea that 90 minutes can be filled with these limited methods may seem unachievable, but a real sense of claustrophobia and tension is succesfully built over the short running time. The lengthy shot of darkness accompanied only by Reynold's breathing that opens the film clearly sets the tone for what will follow.

Reynold's performance is at turns contained and tragic, and at others explosive and frustrating. There are moments where he misses the emotional mark ever so slightly, veering into cliched territory, but that is not really his fault.
The points in the film where he phones his family or screams in frustration at the American government officials he manages to contact are not as effective as those where he merely tries to find a way out or sadly accepts his fate.

The last ten minutes are shocking and bleak beyond words, which I can only applaud. It's always refreshing to see filmmakers decide to kill the hero after such lengthy empathy with them, even more so when the hero is pretty much the only character.


7/10