Today's topic is Danny Boyle's latest film to hit cinemas, 127 Hours, which is the true story of experienced rock climber and canyoner, Aron Ralston (James Franco). The film is based around the 5 days that Ralston spent with one arm trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone in Utah, with little food and water.The film starts with a somewhat cocky and full of life 20 something is shooting across the desert on his bike with just a digital camera, video camera, a bottle of water and a little climbing gear. On his travels Ralston meets two young ladies who appear to be lost. After pointing them in the right direction Franco's character offers to be their tour guide for the trip and promises to show them a good time, by taking them to an underground lake by way of a 30 foot sheer drop, soon after the girls depart and Ralston is left to carry on with his original plan for the day. After loosing his footing Ralston falls down into a canyon and following him how is the boulder which was to keep him prisoner for, as the title suggests, 127 hours where he kept a video diary of what he thought to be his last days alive. James Franco gives a performance that deserves nothing less than an academy award. He shows the frustration of Ralston trying to unwedge the great rock from his arm and the slow torment from within his own mind. Boyle is at his best keeping viewers nerves tightly wound and the suspense high with split screens and perfectly mood matching music that keeps the films pace even with the lack of action on screen. After making a pulley system to try and free himself from the boulder we see the first attempt at DIY amputation with Franco jabbing the blade of his pen knife into the flesh of his arm, the lack of sound during moments of agony help portray the fact that he was alone in an 'if a tree falls in the forest an no one is there to hear it' kind of way.
During the scene in which Franco breaks his arm and cuts through the skin and muscle I found that it was done in such a way that you could almost feel the pain yourself, and in that moment of release a wave of relief was felt by all in the cinema with me. But the torture is not done there, it is important during this part of the film not to forget that this is a TRUE story and after cutting his own arm off Aron Ralston scaled a rock face to get to lower ground and search for any signs of help.
The only problem I have with this film is the hallucinations, although not a bad thing(especially the scene in which Ralston interviews himself into his camcorder as if he is on a cheesy morning TV show) I felt that the film could have been just as good if not better with fewer apparitions of a sofa filled with people we could only guess at the relationship to the hero of the story, the same is not true how ever for the flash backs to Aron's past which gives us insight into his life and inevitably builds more sympathy and liking for the character.
This film is definitely Oscar worthy. I hope to see that James Franco gets the recognition he deserves as well as Danny Boyle hopefully getting his hands on another statue.127 Hours is, in my opinion, nothing short of a cinematical masterwork. I would advise everybody to view this film. At just over an hour and a half it takes your nerves, runs them through a grinder and gives them back to you with a smile so you can walk out of the cinema in the same staggered hunched over limp that took Aron Ralston to his rescue.
Rating - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
im well impressed with ur reviews so far. please keep em coming.
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