Ryan Reynolds is Beaten, Bloody and ‘Buried’

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 19, 2009

There is something quite captivating about a movie set entirely in a 6 ft. 3ft. box, is there not? In the currently in-production indie thriller Buried, actor Ryan Reynolds plays a civilian contractor working in Iraq who wakes up one day in a coffin, buried in a shallow grave somewhere in the desert. All he has at his disposal is a cell phone, a candle and a lighter — with which he must find a way to get himself out of his predicament.

I’ve heard from our own Dr. Cole Abaius, who has read the script, that the intended path of this film is one that is very claustrophobic and could end up being very ballsy. For Reynolds, it is a role that takes a lot of guts. Rarely do we see an actor take the weight of an entire movie on his or her shoulders (see Sam Rockwell in Duncan Jones’ Moon for a good example of a one man show), and even more rare is it that such a performance would be made in such a tight setting.

Like many of you, I will be interested to see how it all plays out. Based on what I’m seeing in these first two photos, which come to us from the folks at Twitch, this appears to be a very simple, practical setup, allowing director Rodrigo Cortes to immerse the audience in the stuffy world of being buried alive. It’s just the sort of bold project that, if done right, could turn some heads and have audience members clawing their way out.

What do you think of the look and premise of Buried?

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