by Ken San Nicolas

Director: Rodrigo Cortes

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Genre: Suspense

Starring: Ryan Reynolds

"Buried" is a palpable suspense that will have audiences glued to the screen for its entire 90 minute run. The directorial debut of Rodrigo Cortes, "Buried" combines a strong screenplay with time-relevant content and great acting. The result is an original, gripping suspense that is sure to be one of the top 5 movies of the year.

"Buried" is the story of Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) a truck driver who wakes up in a coffin 6 feet underground. He has no idea who put him there or why, and armed with a cell phone, lighter and pencil, he has 90 minutes to figure out why he is there and how to get out.

The cinematography is extremely powerful. Nearly the entire film consists of scenes from within the coffin. Cortes does a great job of emphasizing the despair and constricted space of the coffin. Ryan Reynolds sells the role well too. His grimacing and overexertion at very minute movements (e.g. moving around the coffin, writing and holding a lighter at the same time etc) really helps sell how confined Conroy is in his surroundings. His emotional reactions to the phone calls he receives help the audience empathize with his situation.

"Buried" runs off of strong dialogue and gripping suspense. Much like "Hurt Locker", there is little "real" action yet the audience can feel the tension of the situation at hand. Throw in a third act twist that would have even Hitchcock himself grinning with glee, and "Buried" is easily one of the best movies of the year.

5 out of 5 stars.