127 Hours

This is not really a film that you enjoy while watching it; there is very little enjoyment to get from such a terrible situation.  The film does, however, hook you into watching every single minute, like a slow motion car crash; this just goes to show the talent of Danny Boyle and the magnetism of James Franco that people will actually pay to watch it and then rave about how inspiring it was.

The plot follows the real life tale of how Aron Ralston, an engineer turned climbing enthusiast on weekends who got trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost Canyon, Utah, and survived. He ends up literally being stuck between a rock and a hard place (ok, I couldn’t resist the pun) and unable to move for over five days. As the audience watch the movie unfold they witness Ralston showing an amazing amount of survival instinct and inventive flare that is impressive to behold. Since this is a true story the ending is quite obvious and many moviegoers go in knowing what will happen, but it is the journey across the 90 minutes that will awe and inspire them. The film certainly has a lot of similarities to ‘Buried’, the Ryan Reynolds film released last summer; they both have ordinary men stuck in one spot for days, they both manage to keep one actor entertaining the audience for the majority of the film, but where ‘127 Hours’ differs is that it is not a thriller like ‘Buried’, but is meant to captivate and shock people, but also give out the message that nothing is too difficult to overcome.

Similarly to ‘Buried’ we only have one individual on screen for the majority of the film who must maintain the audience’s interest throughout. This is certainly a difficult thing to ask any actor, especially when you add the heat of the canyon, plus all the physical and psychological strain that goes on during the filming, but James Franco pulls it all off superbly. Ralston was clearly a confident, cocky individual and Franco is able to portray this in a simple smile and a walk. But Franco can also play the several emotional stages that Ralston goes through as the gravity of his situation slowly dawns on him. Franco was also truly all-alone in many of the scenes and this led to one of the funniest scenes in which Ralston gives himself his own Jerry Springer style talking to during which he brings a lot of underlying issues about how he enjoys pushing people away and being alone. Although this scene is amusing to watch, it is also heart breaking as Ralston realizes a little too late that he should have lived his life differently. Franco takes on this challenge and truly delivers giving great heart and strength to the performance, which was likely significantly helped by having the real Aron Ralston to hand on set. Having the real Ralston on set meant that he came back to where it all began and took his first step onto Robbers Roost since the incident-a further testament to his courage and personal strength.

The film is beautifully shot, but that is what we have come to expect from a Danny Boyle film. His shots of Robbers Roost truly show how stunning the landscape is and this makes Ralston’s fascination with it all the more understandable. While in the canyon, in order to get the heightened feel of claustrophobia there are many tight close up shots where all we see is Franco’s face and the audience begin to understand the conditions he is in. On top of this Boyle also uses wide angled distance shots that reveal how vast Robbers Roost is and so how alone Ralston is. Boyle’s smartest move in the film is to break up the solo shots of Franco with dream sequences that appear due to Ralston’s dehydration. Within these sequences the audience is given glimpses of the life that led Ralston to the boulder; we see his family life, his friends and the girl he loved and lost. Unfortunately we never do get the full story, but simply little snap shots, but in some ways this is quite special as it allows the audience to create their own history for Aron Ralston, and it also means that the real Aron Ralston does not have his privacy invaded world wide.

Now of course all anyone is really interested in is ‘that scene’, so let’s not waste anytime skirting around it. It is more gruesome than you could possibly be prepared for, but like a slow motion car crash you can’t help but watch. It lasts for a good 10 minutes during which Boyle uses a combination of sound and visuals to make you feel as if you are cutting your own arm off. For example when Ralston is tugging at one of the nerves in his arm every touch causes the audiences ears to be bombarded by screeching sounds that reflect the pain he must be feeling. It is almost unbearable to watch, and then suddenly it is all over and you are hit with an overwhelming sense of relief and awe that someone would go through all that for survival. This feeling of awe and relief will stay with you even after you have left the cinema and get home; all you will think is ‘No problem in my life can be so bad that I have to cut my own arm off to survive it’.

Overall it is a good film that never falls into the trap of putting a few too many tension-heightening devices in. It is well shot, emotionally portrayed and enlightening. Ralston now does public speaking and charges thousands of dollars; this is a much cheaper way of getting his message. Just remember if you are a thrill seeker: always take a phone with you.

 

Degree- 2:1

Possibly not a film you will feel you ‘enjoyed’ while you

watch it, but certainly one that will leave its mark

and have you thinking about it for a long time after.

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

127 Hours

After the Oscar, critic and box office acclaimed success of his last film, Slumdog director Danny Boyle’s  new project has a lot to live up to. Fortunately ‘127 hours’ certainly looks on paper as if it will. With James Franco as the leading role and critics at the Toronto Film Festival giving it great write ups, the biopic of Aron Ralston’s remarkable adventure certainly seems to be on its way to more Oscar gold. The movie will show the life changing 5 days of Ralston after a falling boulder crushes his arm and leaves him trapped and isolated in a canyon. The Uk release date is January 7th 2011.