Buried: Too bad it didn't stay there.

Civilian contractor Paul Conroy, a truck driver working in Iraq, wakes up after his convoy was attacked to discover he has been buried alive in a wooden coffin. With only a limited amount of oxygen, a cell phone and a candle, he must keep his wits about him in order to escape and survive.

The film certainly featured an original (and timely) premise which could have led to a thoroughly engaging and thrilling cinematic experience. However for all of the inventive shots inside the cramped wooden coffin and an intense turn by a guy who is better known for his comedic or action hero roles, Buried was flawed in its presentation and the logic of its story. Suspending disbelief for a film is something of a necessity (especially for all those big budget, cgi-laden blockbusters in the theaters nowadays) but when a director ask the audience to buy into a number of plot devices that are realistically implausible (while having that story grounded in the “real world”), they run the risk of straining credibility and ultimately (as was the case in this film) the devices are so unrealistic that they distract from the film as a whole. Director Rodrigo Cortes had the best intentions with the film but the aforementioned lack of realism and vague nature of the script and story made it close to agonizing to watch.

There will be others who champion this film and point to its minimalist approach or sociopolitical underpinnings regarding the United States war in Iraq as welcome signs of a film that breaks from current Hollywood film trends of more guns and more cgi in order to focus on the story or the idea that Cortes was making a deeper statement with the movie but don’t believe them. Buried felt more like an over-hyped student film than a classic claustrophobic thriller.

Grade: D+