Buried

As an American civilian truck driver working in Iraq, Paul Conroy's convoy is attacked by a group of Iraqi insurgents. Some time later, Paul awakes in a coffin with only a lighter, a cell phone, and his ever-growing anxiety. Faced with a dwindling oxygen supply and a dying battery, he must fight panic, despair, and delirium as he races against time to escape the claustrophobic death trap.

Rodrigo Cortés's single-location thriller earned strong praise from most critics for wringing genuine suspense out of its suffocating premise and for Reynolds's committed performance, though a vocal minority felt the conceit was more a formal stunt than a satisfying film. The gap between critical enthusiasm and audience ambivalence suggests the movie rewards those willing to meet its demands — and leaves others cold.