Reviews by Matt

Did you know that your cell phone battery lasts longer when it is on a ringer than it does on vibrate? Neither did I. If I took anything away from “Buried” that would be it.
After is truck is attacked, Paul Conroy (Ryan Renyolds), a truck driver in Iraq, wakes up in the dark. It soon becomes clear that he is buried somewhere in the Iraqi desert. All he has is a cell phone, a flashlight that barely works and his lighter. He gets a call from his kidnapper telling him that if they do not get money soon, Paul will die in that box.

And that is all I am going to tell you.

I do not want to give much of the plot away because the less you know, the better.

Movies like “Buried” rely heavily on the performance of the leading character. In 2000, “Cast Away” was banked purely on the talents of Tom Hanks—a very bankable star. “Buried” has Ryan Renyolds, an actor who has had some hits but is by no means a big box office draw. He is really best known for his comedic chops (See “Van Wilder”). When I heard the casting, I was intrigued. When I saw the movie I was impressed. He is able to carry a movie. It is just him, alone and in a box for 95 minutes. No flashbacks and no back story with other characters to help the story along. Just Ryan Renyolds in a box with a cell phone and a flashlight for an hour and a half. He carries this movie and does it with so little that I feel this is a career defining performance from Renyolds.

I am not surprised that this movie has not been doing well in the theaters. It is not for everyone. I am a certified film nerd so movies that do something different are right up my ally. A movie that takes place in a box buried in the desert with one actor is something that piques my interest. The general public might not like that idea as much.

My only issue is that I feel like I was expecting more. Its not that I left unsatisfied or disliking the movie, I just was hoping it would be more. More of what, I could not tell you. There was just something I did not get that I needed by the time the credits rolled.

8 out of 10
Rated R for language and some violent content
95 minutes