BURIED, a Spanish-made production with US backing and an American lead, is the latest in a long line of shot-in-a-single-location movies; other recent entries include PHONE BOOTH, 127 HOURS (trapped in a canyon) and DEVIL (shot in a lift). This one takes a more extreme approach to the premise than the others, as the entire film is set inside a coffin where a guy has been buried alive.
For the most part, this is watchable drama and it's rarely boring, as you might expect given the premise. The writer has carefully worked everything out, so that there's incident at regular intervals (Reynolds has to contend with plenty of dangers, including sand and snakes) and dialogue thanks to the handy mobile phone he's been buried with.
I'm no fan of Reynolds as an actor, but he acquits himself quite well with the material and gives a believable performance as a guy driven to desperation and the edge of his mind. The most impressive talent belongs to director Rodrigo Cortes, who manages to keep everything interesting despite the limitations of his story - it's a bravura job, and the ending nails it perfectly.
For the most part, this is watchable drama and it's rarely boring, as you might expect given the premise. The writer has carefully worked everything out, so that there's incident at regular intervals (Reynolds has to contend with plenty of dangers, including sand and snakes) and dialogue thanks to the handy mobile phone he's been buried with.
I'm no fan of Reynolds as an actor, but he acquits himself quite well with the material and gives a believable performance as a guy driven to desperation and the edge of his mind. The most impressive talent belongs to director Rodrigo Cortes, who manages to keep everything interesting despite the limitations of his story - it's a bravura job, and the ending nails it perfectly.