Claustrophobic thriller in the shape of Ryan Reynolds, stuck in a coffin for 100 minutes.
The premise is extremely daunting: to create a film that takes place entirely within the confines of a small box, buried underneath a few feet of sand. The result however, is a wonderfully tense drama, with a brilliant script to drive it home.
Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, a contracted truck driver in Iraq, whose convoy is ambushed and he is taken prisoner, placed in a box and buried. The only things in the box with him are a phone, a few light sources (such as glow sticks and a torch), and a ransom letter. The kidnappers want $5 million from the U.S. Embassy within two and a half hours or they will leave Paul buried. What ensues is a frantic attempt by Paul to contact all who may be able to help him, whilst also trying to get in touch with his wife who seems to not be around to pick up the damn phone!
The developments during the film are very entertaining, making the film seem like one fast rollercoaster, rather than a slow and dreary waiting-for-death sort of movie. Reynolds’ depiction of this seemingly doomed character is worthy of particular note. Gone are his usual comedic, smart-ass hero lines, instead being replaced with a humble, terrified portrayal that is very realistic and appealing. It is exactly how I would react in that situation.
It is one of those films definitely worth watching if you like tense thrillers where the location is deadly inescapable, such as Phone Booth (2002). But be warned, you will probably not want to sit through it again, the journey is extremely wearying and bleak.
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