Buried Alive (1990)

Too much of everything

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Excellent but underrated film

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This really is one of my favourite films and is definitely the best Tim Matheson film I have seen so far. If you haven't seen it then I can't recommend it enough! The sequel to this film isn't as good but worth watching if you enjoyed the first. Scenes where Tim Matheson's character is seen to move when inside a zipped up body bag in the morgue, and when he is on the undertaker's embalming table are chilling, and when he eventually wakes up after he's been buried and subsequently digs his way out, the film totally delivers on its promise to thrill. The music when he's stumbling through the cemetery is just perfect and will have you rooting for him as he plots his revenge on his uncaring wife. MUST SEE! :-)

This is a film, which although having a somewhat implausable story line, isentertaining enough to keep you watching until the end. Joanne (Jennifer Jason Leigh) plays the villianess of the film, administering the poison in an attempt to kill her husband and make off with the loot. She plays the part well, right up to the last part of the film which ends in an unliely manner with the interior of the house undergoing structural changes which would take weeks to do in real life.Notwithstanding this it does enough to be worth watching, indeed I have seen it on several occasions when there has been nothing to watch on the TV.

This film is certainly not run-of-the-mill. The director of Shawshank Redemption shows how, once more, he knows how to tell a story. The soundtrack is one of the best in creating mood and ambiance, communicating without telegraphing. The casting is great and Tim Matheson is what he's best at--a TV actor who fits the small screen as well as, well, some guys fit their jeans. He's watchable. The first time I saw it, the end was a total shocker. After numerous viewings, it's still one of those compelling tales, admittedly not deep, but filled with little details and nuances, like a good Stephen King short story. Definitely deserving of at least a loyal cult following.

*This contains spoilers*This is one truly great suspense movie. Basically, the story surrounds a couple, Joanna (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and Clint (Tim Matheson) who have moved to the country to start a new life away from the city. Joanna begins expecting a child and sees a doctor, Courtland, who is only interested in scamming Joanna out of the whole fortune Clint's carpentry business is worth. Joanna is not happy being with Clint in the country and wants out of her life. Courtland tells Joanna that he plans to build a clinic in Beverly Hills and says "this is a cash machine just waiting for us to plug into it". The only way to get the money was with Clint's business. Being a doctor, he devises a plan with Joanna to kill Clint by poisoning him so Joanna could sell his business and get the million and a half dollar fortune. Courtland's plan was almost fool-proof, except for one thing; Joanna's dead husband, only, he wasn't dead. Clint couldn't have thought up a better plan to take revenge out on his wife and the doctor. This movie is definitely worth seeing. The ending is unlike anything anybody could have ever expected. The plot is basic and straight forward, with a spectacular performance played by the actors, and a brilliantly written script. This movie is a good example of how greed can completely poison somebody's mind and ruin the lives of other people. Joanna and Courtland definitely deserved the torment they received by Clint's revenge for trying to kill him and ruining his life forever after. Another great movie which is similar to this is "Mortal Thoughts" (1990). Movie rating: 10 out of 10