Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours is the story of Aron Ralson (James Franco), the hiker/climber, who got his arm caught between a large boulder and the wall of a tight canyon in Utah. I figured that at best this would end up being something in the vein of Cast Away.
Luckily I was very wrong. The script is taut and makes full use of the 94 minute running time. The introduction to Ralston shows a very brash young man. He ignores phone calls from relatives. He even goes out climbing without notifying anyone of his destination. We also see that he’s very vane as he’s constantly taking videos and photographs of himself. When he meets two young ladies out on the hiking trail he shows them a good time, but seems much more concerned with moving on with his solo adventure. He even gives a hesitant response to their invitation to a party.
The introduction sets him up well and shows us that he is an adventurous yet careless person. He makes very little time for anyone else and seems more concerned himself. At one point we even learn that he’s involved in rescuing missing people on trails much like the one on which he’s stuck which shows how careless he truly is to not let anyone know his whereabouts.
The tension is displayed perfectly as the incident first happens and Ralston attempts to pull himself free. He goes through a gamut of emotions while coming up with ways to free himself. He also has a camcorder into which he gives a narration of what happened and what is happening (presuming someone finds the camera).
James Franco does a fantastic job carrying the film and makes the stubborn character of Aron Ralston into a very believable if at times insufferable person. The final gruesome conclusion is hard to watch, realistic and a relief all at once.
**** Four Stars
Director – Danny Boyle
Filmic Brevity 