Buried In Ryan Reynolds Hole

There aren't many movies with a one man cast. For two thirds of I Am Legend Will Smith had to cope with the blood drinking infected New York population on his own, before being relieved by Alice Braga and son. But it's rare. Rarer still is the gimmick of keeping the action within one location. Reservoir Dogs did it for 80% of the running time...44 Inch Chest did it for 90%. But until Buried I've never seen a film with only one, onscreen actor taking place 100% inside a coffin.

That man is Ryan Reynolds and it's a testament to his star power that he manages to make us like him enough to be able to put ourselves in his shoes and acting ability that he's able to convey the whole range of emotions, from fear, anger, humour, despair, bravery and calm, of what it's like to be buried alive.

The script is amazingly paced, giving kidnapped Paul Conroy an array of challenges and obstacles so that he may overcome his seemingly inescapable situation and escape. Armed with a mobile phone, a pencil and a lighter, Conroy goes through all the questions we'd ask ourselves in that situation; how long will my air last? Who do I call? Can I dig my way out? And thanks to the inventive direction of Rodrigo Cortez we are kept on the edge of our seats in real time as the gas in his lighter, and the battery power on his phone, slowly dissipates. Sometimes less is more. And while Buried takes the cliched hostage drama to it's absolute minimum, he takes tension and suspense to the absolute maximum.