Somebody decided to let Victor Reyes write a loud, bombastic score for this movie, and somebody decided that it would be appropriate if that score was actually used in the film. It works fine during the animated opening credit sequence, but for the rest of the film it is completely unnecessary and intrusive, managing to draw the viewer out of what is otherwise an incredibly involving experience. Anything other than silence, or at the most a quiet ambient score, is just too much for Buried.
I had to get that out of the way - it was my only real gripe with this movie. Buried is an intense thriller that has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, with an extreme sense of claustrophobia to boot. The orange glow of the lighter and the blue glow of the cellphone re-affirm an incredibly confined sense of space, especially when watching on a big screen. The entire film does take place within a coffin, after all.
The movie quite simply revolves around a man's survival and phone conversations, and due to the film's plot and concept (and of course thanks to the screenplay), this is all that's needed; it works up a huge amount of suspense. This minimalistic approach works wonders, and proves that films don't need to rely on huge concepts and big set-pieces to excite and thrill the viewer.
One mustn't go without mentioning Ryan Reynolds, who offers a very solid performance as the focus of the film, and manages to get the heart pumping through his various explorations of emotion, and the way in which he acts out the desperation of his situation. The film being about the main character, the choice of actor was a case of "make it or break it" here, but Reynolds pulls it off. He ensures that Buried is one of those great films that pulls you in and doesn't let go. It's hard to say anything else really, without ruining it.
Now if only they got rid of the soundtrack...
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