Buried

 4/5  ****
A man finds himself waking up to darkness, frustration and fear. He struggles to move but he can't. Frantically he searches around and finds a lighter with a few clicks a flame gives light to a realization, that Paul Conroy, a truck driver from the U.S. is buried alive. He finds a cell phone and after searching through it quickly realizes he is in the middle of the Iraqi dessert and his captives are holding him for ransom. I won't give away too much detail its a film that just needs to be experienced. Being buried alive has got be one of the worst fears for many people and director Rodrigo Cortes brings every detail to life. This film is unlike anything I've seen. From the first frame to last the entire film is in a coffin and the only visual break you get is from the darkness, which doesn't help. I felt very claustrophobic while watching this, so if you have issues with this, don't watch it. Its a very well crafted thriller for only $3 Million, seems low but there really is no other person or places in this movie. You only hear voices on the other end of the phone, everyone from his wife, 911 operator to his captives but the camera never cuts away. There is one very creepy scene where a certain slithering reptile finds its way into the coffin and our hero needs to figure out how to deal with it. So , is there a happy ending, does he ever get rescued, you'll just have to see it to find out. Its only in limited release so if its playing near you , check it out, its a must see! My only hang up was casting Ryan Reynolds in this role. Don't get me wrong, He is fantastic, he makes it work with what little he has to work with, but having an unknown actor would have made the whole experience even more real.