Ryan Reynolds wows TIFF fans at Ryerson

Canadian heartthrob Ryan Reynolds walked the TIFF red carpet at the Ryerson Theatre Tuesday night for the premiere of Buried, a “claustrophobic” thriller that is getting positive reviews from last night’s filmgoers.

Reynolds – who is the only onscreen actor in the 95 minute film – was joined at the premiere by his mother, as well as the film’s director Rodrigo Cortes.

In the film, Reynolds plays a U.S. civilian truck driver on a contract assignment in Iraq, but when his convoy is attacked by Iraqi insurgents, he’s knocked unconscious and awakens to find that he’s been buried alive in a coffin with only his wits, a cigarette lighter and a BlackBerry to save him.

At a press conference earlier this week, Reynolds said it was the emotional distress during filming that he found most disturbing. “I just couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I was having a tough time. I was a little out of control when we were there, and it was nice to be done.”

Following the premiere, moviegoers took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the film, calling it a “real edge of your seat thriller”, crazy, intense, and while simple, “incredibly engaging”.

One filmgoer also claimed that Buried may turn into a “huge cultural phenomena” similar to The Blair Witch Project.

Buried is scheduled for theatrical release later this month.