Everything You Want Know About ‘Buried’ Is Here

I was caught by surprise when I learned that the movie Buried was intended to be a thriller. I was expecting it to be rather comical, but it turned out to be more serious than expected. The story is about Iraq-based American civilian truck driver Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), who, after being attacked, finds himself buried alive in a wooden coffin, with only a lighter, flask, flashlight, knife, glowsticks, pen, and pencil. Since its premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10th of that year and being released in the United States on September 24th of the same year through Overture Films, Buried has been met with mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Cast And Crew:

• Ryan Reynolds as Paul Conroy.
• José Luis García Pérez (voice) as Jabir.
• Robert Paterson (voice) as Dan Brenner.
• Stephen Tobolowsky (voice) as Alan Davenport.
• Cade Dundish (voice) as Shane Conroy.
• Samantha Mathis (voice) as Linda Conroy.
• Ivana Miño (voice) as Pamela Lutti.
• Warner Loughlin (voice) as Maryanne Conroy. 
• Erik Palladino (voice) as Special Agent Harris.

Plot

While on his way to Chicago for a job interview, Paul Conroy is ambushed by Iraqi insurgents and kidnapped. After a few days buried in a wooden coffin, he finds himself alone with a lighter (used to signal rescuers), pen and pencil, knife, glow sticks (for illumination), water bottle, and phone. As he slowly begins to fit the pieces together of what has happened to him, he recalls that after being hit by rocks thrown at his convoy that left him unconscious and his colleague dead, he was taken captive by the enemy. As he tries to call out, the phone’s battery runs out. Terrorists do not need mobile phones as they have a landline. They give him food but not water as they are waiting for the water truck to arrive. His fellow captives also died while he was unconscious, leaving him alone with only one final survivor who eventually passes away due to a lack of food and water, leaving Paul with no company or contact with the outside world because of the communication breakdown.

When was the Movie Released?

This film is based on a true story. The film opened on January 23, 2010. It was screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie was released out of competition at the 68th Venice Film Festival in September 2010, before having a limited theatrical release, It grossed $21.3 million worldwide.

What Makes the Movie Exciting?

In my opinion, this movie is one that you have probably seen many times in your mind beforehand. In this movie, there was a sense that the events that happened didn’t have to be in such a confined space as the coffin. It could be anywhere in this huge world. This is one of those movies where I feel like I’ve seen it before; probably from a different director or country. But this film I think is more serious than other similar films (for example The Conjuring). The acting is well done, and I like Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of Paul Conroy.