Buried

Ryan Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, a US Contractor in Iraq. After an attack on his convoy, he awakens in a coffin with no idea how he got there. He has only a cell phone and a lighter, and starts to make frantic calls as he tries to remember what had happened to him and why this is happening to him now.

Buried premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2010 and has generated mainly positive reviews.


 * Buried Alive: The premise of the entire movie.
 * Chiaroscuro: No sunlight penetrates the coffin, and the artificial light sources make harsh shadows.
 * Did Not Do the Research: Or they just didn't care..
 * To be fair, one of the characters says that Paul could not be underground more than a couple of feet, meaning not the typical six feet under, due to the fact that he still has cell service.
 * Enclosed Space: It doesn't get any more enclosed than the coffin.
 * Fingore
 * Five Five Five: Averted. Several full phone numbers are mentioned over the course of the film, none of them including 555.
 * Flash Back: surprisingly averted, while most of the viewers expect to see some flashbacks to mix up a bit the constant scenes with just the wooden box and Ryan in it, the movie never actually leaves the box.
 * He Who Must Not Be Seen: Everyone except Paul.
 * Hope Spot:
 * Humiliation Conga: And it never stops for poor Paul.
 * It Got Worse: And it doesn't get any better.
 * Logical Fallacies:.
 * Minimalist Cast: Ryan Reynolds is the only actor shown. Save for one character seen in a video on a cell phone, there's no one else in the film.
 * Never Trust a Trailer: The trailers promoted this as being similar to the Saw movies. It is nothing like it at all, and is closer to an art film.
 * Nightmare Fuel: Especially if you're claustrophobic.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * Orange Blue Contrast: Literally the only lights come from a lighter and an old flashlight giving off yellow/orange light and a cellphone and glowstick giving off blue/green light. Combine the two together as occurs in several shots and you get this.
 * Plot Induced Stupidity:.
 * Small Secluded World: Almost nothing gets in or out of the coffin, not even the camera.
 * Nightmare Fuel: Especially if you're claustrophobic.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * Orange Blue Contrast: Literally the only lights come from a lighter and an old flashlight giving off yellow/orange light and a cellphone and glowstick giving off blue/green light. Combine the two together as occurs in several shots and you get this.
 * Plot Induced Stupidity:.
 * Small Secluded World: Almost nothing gets in or out of the coffin, not even the camera.
 * Small Secluded World: Almost nothing gets in or out of the coffin, not even the camera.