Review by Spencer Gordon
Photo provided by 127 Hours
127 Hours
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring James Franco
Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images
I walked into 127 Hours with very high expectations. First of all it was from current on-top-of-the-world-director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine, 28 Days Later), and second Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy wrote it. For the first time since the brilliant The Social Network, I can say that I’ve seen a film that will be a serious contender for Best Picture at the Oscars.
The film tells the story of Aron Ralston, a man whose carefree lifestyle has him doing whatever he wants without anyone else getting in his way. Ralston is a rock climber and every weekend he explores the canyons of Utah alone and doesn’t tell anybody where he is going. On this special outing, Ralston meets up with two cute girl rock climbers (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn), shows them a good time, and then goes climbing by himself in a different five foot wide crevasse miles away. While climbing down, a huge rock of probably a thousand pounds or more falls onto Ralston, wedging his arm between the rock and the side of the crevasse wall. The climber only has limited supplies of food and water and for the next 127 hours, he goes through the most traumatic experience of his life.
First off, Franco is flat out stellar throughout 127 Hours. The film runs a fast-paced ninety-four minutes and I would go as far to say that not only is Franco on screen for about eighty-eight to ninety minutes of the film (stuck under a rock for seventy-five of them), but most of the time is spent in close-ups of his face. As each day passes in the film, Franco’s Ralston becomes increasingly desperate and more emotional. Franco embraced being in the center of so many takes; he portrays a variety of emotions and created scenes that would make me both laugh and cringe. Franco isn’t just screaming for his life for eighty minutes, but rather thinking of options, trying new things, and just intelligently trying to get out of his predicament. For this year’s Oscars, he not only jumps ahead of Jesse Eisenberg (of The Social Network) for Best Actor, but also has as big a lead on the competition as Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) did for last year’s show.
Now I can’t really give credit to the cinematography and lighting of the film because in reality, there is only so much you can do with such a confined space as they put Franco in. Instead what made the film great was the brilliant script written by Beaufoy and Boyle. Great films in the past, such as the perfect Rear Window or as recently as the thrilling Moon, thrive on setting the film in one location and letting the main actor take over the film. Yet, 127 Hours is so unique that yes, it places the protagonist in one location, but it also confines him from everything in the outside world besides the small occurrences of dreams and flashbacks (which thankfully the film didn’t spend too much time on). There is only Franco interacting with Franco. I literally felt as if I was trapped with him, from feeling his physical and emotional pain, to even feeling thirsty and hungry as the hours passed. Each day just took so much out of the man on screen. The result is one of the most intense thrillers I’ve ever seen that had my heart pounding by the closing credits.
The film is written, directed, acted, and edited so beautifully that it is definitely a must see. Although I knew the story of what happened to real life Ralston, the script and Franco’s work were so brilliant that I didn’t care. Although I still prefer The Social Network to this film come Oscar time, this film could just as easily take the crown. If you are ready for a well made intense thriller definitely see 127 Hours. Just make sure and tell someone where you’re going first.
Grade: A+ for gluing my eyes to the screen, making me feel as if I was trapped with Aron, being incredibly fast-paced, and never sagging in intensity.
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