Login
Note: If you are not familiar with the story of Aron Ralston and wish to be surprised by 127 Hours, it is advised that you watch the movie before reading this review. Spoilers of sorts are scattered throughout.
In mid-2003, Aron Ralston developed into a media sensation when he became trapped in a canyon for 127 hours, and was forced to amputate his arm in order to save his life. Ralston's physically and spiritually transformative experience was chronicled in his 2004 book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and has now been dramatised to harrowing effect in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours; the director's follow-up effort to his Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. Unflinching in its depiction of what constitutes the will to live, 127 Hours is at once ruminative and frenzied, intimate and vast - it's a thoughtful, compelling character study, yet it's as energetic as its protagonist. Although the film bears little resemblance to Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours was largely created by the same crew: Boyle co-wrote the script with Simon Beaufoy, Anthony Dod Mantle contributed to the camerawork, and Indian composer A.R. Rahman wrote the score. It's a testament to the talents of these men that - superior craftsmanship notwithstanding - you would not guess the connection between the films unless you had prior knowledge.
Aron Ralston (Franco) is a skilled hiker who craves solitude; usually avoiding family and friends to embark upon adventures and be king of the wild. At the start of the film, Aron is bound for Blue John Canyon in Utah. Initially, he encounters a pair of lost female hikers (Tamblin and Mara, in what amount to cameo appearances) and helps them find their way before he speeds off to his next claustrophobic destination. Unfortunately, he meets a loose rock along the way, and subsequently finds himself at the bottom of a narrow crevice with his right arm trapped between a boulder and the canyon wall. The title refers to the amount of time Aron spends in the crevice with very limited food and water; enduring freezing nights and the growing realisation that no-one is coming to save him.
In adapting Ralston's memoir, Boyle and Beaufoy took what could have been the man vs. nature equivalent of torture porn and transformed it into a visceral drama about life and hope. 127 Hours is brilliantly crafted - it's an at times gruelling, but nonetheless deeply compelling study of the lengths a person will go to for survival. For the majority of the film it's just Franco, Boyle and the canyon - there are no scenes of concerned friends or relatives wondering where Aron is. Nevertheless, there's never a boring moment. As time continues to drip along, flashbacks reveal Aron's early life, and, as dehydration and fatigue take their toll on his mental state, he experiences dreams and hallucinations. Aron gradually comes to regret his antisocial behaviour; wishing that he spent more time with loves ones before the hour of his impending death. Aron has a camcorder with him too, and records a constant video diary of his thoughts and experiences with the hope that it will be returned to his parents. (In real life, Aron did record a video diary, though he never showed it publically. In preparation for the movie, Boyle and Franco were allowed to view it.)
Boyle has always been skilled in terms of his stylised shooting style, and this talent is evident once again in 127 Hours. The director and his duo of cinematographers - Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle - chose to depict Aron's struggle through a complex series of edits and shots; creating a fluid sense of movement by switching between shooting styles despite most of the film being set in one claustrophobic location. Boyle loves to splash the screen with visual flair, and this creates an exhilarating experience which places the viewer inside Ralston's head. Perhaps the most effective sequence is the climactic arm amputation scene. Viewers have reportedly vomited while watching said scene, and it's easy to understand why. Boyle did not baulk at capturing the gory details - Aron is seen breaking the bones of his forearm and using the dull knife of a cheap multi-utility tool to cut the soft tissue. Especially with Rahman's harrowing score, the scene is almost unbearable to watch. Although less gruesome than Hostel or The Hills Have Eyes, the reality of the scene is what makes it disturbing. The film is also topped off by an uplifting conclusion which packs a tremendous wallop; elevating this challenging picture to unexpected emotional heights.
James Franco is an actor who, up until now, has always tried his best but never achieved anything truly remarkable in his career. He has always displayed an enthusiasm for acting and a degree of charisma, but these qualities were perpetually lost on thankless supporting roles. Thankfully, 127 Hours denotes Franco's first truly remarkable piece of acting work. Franco is on the screen for nearly every frame of the movie (often in close-up), and he was up to the challenge; delivering the performance of a lifetime, and overturning his reputation as a dramatic lightweight. For more than an hour, we're stuck in a hole with Aron, and the intensity and charm of Franco's performance keeps us engaged. It's a tribute to everyone involved that, despite being aware of the true-life story, a viewer will still hope that Aron will make it out of the canyon in one piece, and be hopeful whenever he attempts a new technique.
127 Hours is a cracking, extraordinary movie. It may be hard to imagine how a movie with such limited scope could remain interesting for over 90 minutes, but Boyle and his talented team managed to pull it off. In fact, the only disappointment is the film's brevity. Another full half-hour should have been added to truly drive home the period of time for which Aron is stuck. In spite of this, 127 Hours is a masterpiece. It's even superior to Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. If a film can be both brilliant from a critical perspective and mighty entertaining, it's a miracle.
9.5/10
