Buried

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1:22

Buried

R

Released Oct 8, 2010

1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

87%

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159 Reviews

65%

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50,000+ Ratings

A civilian truck driver in Iraq, Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) falls victim to a band of insurgents. An unknown length of time later, Paul awakes in a coffin, with little more than a lighter, a cell phone, and his ever-growing anxiety. Faced with a dwindling oxygen supply and a dying battery, Paul must fight panic, despair and delirium as he awaits a rescue that might not arrive in time.

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Critics Consensus

Wringing a seemingly impossible amount of gripping drama out of its claustrophobic premise, Buried is a nerve-wracking showcase for Ryan Reynolds' talent.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... you will be so caught up in the movie that its surprisingly abrupt ending will leave you with your mouth agape.

Rated: A

Sep 9, 2017

Full Review

Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

A nifty gimmick rarely translates into satisfying cinema, but Buried qualifies as an exception.

Jun 20, 2013

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Conveys the intensity and introspective horror of its subject's extreme life-or-death circumstances far more authentically and grippingly than the similar, flashier and shallower 127 Hours.

Rated: B

Apr 14, 2011

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

The story doesn't take you into any unexpected places, but Ryan Reynolds is extremely watchable and keeps your attention the entire time he's underground.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 11, 2025

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Elissa Suh

Moviepudding (Substack)

It always takes an outsider to make the grim but true parallels...

Aug 21, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The nightmare scenario of being buried alive has never had such a realistic portrayal in cinema.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 3, 2023

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Jace T

This is highly engaging and well paced for a movie that takes place inside of a box. Ryan Reynolds acted his head off in this movie to keep you entertained. You probably get to see every angle of his head you can imagine! I still wonder what demons are hidden in Paul Conroy's closet and why he was so reluctant to give out some information to people that were trying to save his life. The other characters he talks to over the phone help keep the movie on pace. Out of all the genres this movie is tagged as, I am surprised it is not tagged as a tragedy.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

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Kevin W

To Slow of a Movie and Ended Terribly!!!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

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r96 s

'Buried' mostly delivers, the ending is what makes me definitively say that I had a positive time. The film does build tension nicely, it feels claustrophobic without a doubt. It is also paced competently, impressively so given its one location setting (credit to Ryan Reynolds). The only criticism I hold is that the film makes the lead character kinda unlikeable early on, which really shouldn't be the case given it ought to be a tap-in to make you care for Paul Conroy given the plot's nature. To me, in moments, he came across more dick-y than panicked. That kinda led me down the garden path in terms of predicting how it was going to all end, one on my (half-baked) theories was that it was going to head in a 'Butterfly on a Wheel'-esque (great movie, fwiw) direction. It didn't, of course, but the unpredictability was satisfying. I'm perhaps being harsh or was overanalysing with the unlikability factor. Either way, it doesn't really matter all that much because I still think of this in a good way post-watch. Well worth seeing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/25

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I Am F

Good Ryan Reynolds performances and it's thrilling enough.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

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Emil P

Otherwise really good but I didn't like the ending.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/25

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Alex S

The suspense builds in this film that revolves around the common fears of claustrophobia and being buried alive. Given one of Ryan Reynolds’ most dramatic performances, Buried easily keeps you on the edge of your seat. For cinephiles, it’s an appealing movie experience, but not for all general audiences. Grading: C+

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Rodrigo Cortés

Director

Ryan Reynolds

Paul Conroy

Robert Paterson

Dan Brenner

José Luis García-Pérez

Jabir

Stephen Tobolowsky

Alan Davenport

Samantha Mathis

Linda Conroy

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Buried: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A civilian truck driver in Iraq, Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) falls victim to a band of insurgents. An unknown length of time later, Paul awakes in a coffin, with little more than a lighter, a cell phone, and his ever-growing anxiety. Faced with a dwindling oxygen supply and a dying battery, Paul must fight panic, despair and delirium as he awaits a rescue that might not arrive in time.

Director: Rodrigo Cortés
Producer: Adrián Guerra, Peter Safran
Screenwriter: Chris Sparling
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Audiovisual Aval SGR, Versus Entertainment S.L.
Rating: R (Some Violent Content|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Runtime: 1h 34m

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