The Big Picture

• Ryan Reynolds' captivating performance as Paul in Buried highlights his ability to convey vulnerability and authenticity in a dramatic role.
• The film utilizes its singular atmosphere to create empathy for civilians affected by war, showcasing the desperation of survival.
• Buried showcases Reynolds' versatility beyond action-comedies, proving his potential for complex and understated characters.

It’s easy to forget that, prior to the overwhelming success of the Deadpool franchise, Ryan Reynolds was considered to be one of those great actors who would just have to settle for being the best part of underwhelming projects. While Reynolds couldn’t be blamed for the disastrous ways that films like Green Lantern or R.I.P.D. turned out, their failure suggested a gloomy future for his status as a leading man. It’s perhaps because of these early misfires that Reynolds’ Wade Wilson persona became so popular; he became the cheeky underdog who audiences were willing to invest in, as his sarcasm distinguished him. While this self-awareness has certainly benefited Reynolds’ career, he’s also shown signs that he’s capable of handling more straightforward dramatic work. Although it lacks any of the irreverent snarkiness of his post-Deadpool work, the 2010 survival thriller Buried is a terrific showcase for Reynolds’ talents as a leading man.

What Is ‘Buried’ About?

Set amidst the military invasion of Iraq in 2006, Buried follows the American civilian Paul Conroy as he wakes up in a sealed coffin that has been buried. Paul’s knowledge of the events that led him there is hazy at best. He understands that it will take swift and decisive actions on his part if he wants to emerge from the ground with his life preserved. In a structure that feels reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock classic, Reynolds is the only actor whose face is seen on screen within the entire film. The story is confined to the small, underground box that Paul is in, forcing the viewers to deal with the same claustrophobia that he does.

While it would have been very easy to turn the premise of Buried into a gimmick, filmmaker Rodrigo Cortés makes the intelligent decision to keep the audience on the same page that Paul is. Paul learns new information about his situation at the same time that the viewers do, thus creating a more resonant bond between them. It’s a testament to Reynolds’ incredible charisma that he’s able to continuously engage the viewer in the minutiae of Paul’s survival. Armed with only a Blackberry, a lighter, and a pen, Paul must desperately try to find a route of escape. If most of the great war films of all-time are centered on pivotal moments of conflict, then Buried succeeds in highlighting the frustration of those that are left behind.

While such a dark take on a military thriller could easily become interminable to watch, Reynolds succeeds at slowly hinting at Paul's backstory throughout the film. Given that any moment could be his last, and he has no idea what information could be of use to his potential rescuers, Paul is forced to reflect on the memories, which are often painful, of what his life looked like prior to driving in Iraq. While details of his marriage to his wife, Linda (Samantha Mathis), are rather oblique, Reynolds succeeds in demonstrating that Paul feels that survival is his duty, as he feels an obligation to provide for his family. He develops an impressively realistic relationship with Mathis, although they are only able to share sparse conversation on either side of a series of brief phone calls, the two succeed in capturing the dynamic of a heartbroken couple in the midst of a horrible situation.

‘Buried’ Inverts Genre Clichés

Any film that deals with such recent events as the Iraq War risks turning off a majority of its viewers based on how the filmmakers choose to justify or condemn American military action in the region. While Buried contains some contextual information about why Paul is in the predicament that he finds himself in, the film avoids direct political calls to action in favor of a more broad call for empathy. The events that led Paul to his unseemly fate are only briefly touched upon, but it’s important to note that his perspective is one of a civilian. Paul is ultimately forced to pay the ultimate price for a war he took no part in; Buried’s message is one of empathy for those that are forced to pay for the mistakes that their representatives made for them.

Buried takes an unusual slant on the survival thriller because of how limited Paul’s resources are. After finding that breaking from the coffin’s seal will only drain what little energy he has left, he becomes obsessed with trying to contact superiors that may be able to identify his location. Buried questions the lengths that others will go to fight for another person’s life, even if they are a stranger. Reynolds’ charisma ensures the viewer is invested in seeing Paul escape, and makes it all the more infuriating when his cries for help seem to be passed over.

‘Buried’ Succeeds Because of Ryan Reynolds’ Vulnerability

While Deadpool and the films that it inspired worked because it felt like the audience was “in on the joke,” Buried showed that Reynolds is best when he’s being completely sincere. He must convince the viewer that, despite the seeming inability of the scenario, being left for dead by an uncaring government is a reality that anyone may have to reckon with. The film is not devoid of his trademark humor, though; Paul certainly has a dark sense-of-humor about his poor luck. However, this humor is grounded in his authentic reactions, and not due to references to other pop culture material.

Although he’s almost exclusively starred in action-comedies in the last few years, Buried suggests that Reynolds should do more dramatic roles. This, and his underrated turn in Mississippi Grind, showed that Reynolds can evolve his cocky personality into more realistic characters that aren’t confined by the limits of their continuity. While it’s his snarky sense-of-humor that has gotten him this far, Reynolds will need to expand the genre of films he appears in so that his inherent qualities don’t become gimmicks. Perhaps, his Deadpool run would feel a little more exciting if he still did something as stripped down and intimate as Buried every once and again.

Buried is currently streaming on Tubi in the U.S.

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