‘Buried’ Can’t Keep Ryan Reynolds in a Box

t’s hard to believe that it has been 10 years since Buried was released. I can only imagine that the pitch for 90 minutes of a man in a coffin must have been difficult; and for a movie with all its restrictions, Buried has its fair share of positive and negative attributes. Without a doubt, though, the star of the show is Ryan Reynolds. Granted, he’s the only on-screen character, but Reynolds truly demonstrates the range he has as an actor. Most of us are familiar with Ryan Reynolds playing different versions of himself (or Wade Wilson/Deadpool). So, it’s refreshing to see him take on a non-comedic role! Buried also contains an important message, but sadly, it feels rather sidelined.

Warning: This article contains MAJOR spoilers!

A Quick Summary of Buried

This psychological thriller focuses on Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), a truck driver in Iraq. Paul was kidnapped and buried alive inside a coffin. From the moment the movie begins until the moment it ends, we’re in the coffin with him. Paul’s convoy was attacked and his memory of ending up in the coffin is blurry. Armed with only a phone, zippo lighter, glowstick, and a hipflask, he must find a way to be rescued. The movie focuses on the calls that Paul makes during his time underground. Calls range from the man responsible to the bosses of the company he works for. With air running out and sand leaking in, Paul’s chances grow thinner and thinner. The ending of the movie is perhaps the hardest-hitting moment. It’s also entirely unexpected your first time watching Buried.

The Ryan Reynolds Show

Ryan Reynolds isn’t a new star by any means. He’s been wowing audiences for years! Since the release of Buried in 2010, we’ve seen Reynolds in many big movies: Deadpool, Green Lantern, Safe House, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, The Croods, Detective Pikachu, and more. In all of these, he mostly plays the wise-cracking, ‘life’s a joke’ character who always has a quick response to any comment. I’m not in any way implying that Ryan Reynolds hasn’t played a variety of roles but Buried shows us another side to the actor’s talent.

Much of the psychological thrills come from sharing in Paul’s anxieties and fears. Within the first few moments, we see him desperately panic to escape. The restricted movement he faces, and the reality of his situation is uncompromising. The audience can’t help but imagine themselves in that scenario. We share the hopes that Paul develops with news of his potential rescue. We feel madness beginning to sink in with each failed phone call. By the end, you feel the same hopelessness as him, to the point of accepting his fate.

The anger, the rage, the disappointment, the fear…these are all emotions that Ryan Reynolds portrays incredibly well in this movie. There were some problems here and there, but that was more script related. (I’ll get to that in a moment.) I also don’t mean for my praise of Reynolds to undermine the others involved in Buried. Almost everything, from the storyline to the soundtrack was done incredibly well. But if this movie had relied on the acting of a less capable actor, it would have been unbearable.

The Message of Buried

Although there is an underlying message buried (pun intended) within Buried, it doesn’t pack a real punch. I can’t tell if it’s the pace of the movie or the focus, but the message becomes fractionated and lost. Within all the crazy phone calls Paul has, some highlight a couple of aspects of society that we’d likely prefer to ignore.

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