Film Review: 127 Hours (2010)

Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clémence Poésy
Written by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (screenplay), Aron Ralston (novel)

Noone who knows even the slightest bit about film really needs the plot of 127 Hours explained to them. Mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) sets off without telling anyone what he is up to or where he is headed and finds himself in a spot of bother. With his arm trapped under a boulder and absolutely no chance of escaping, he resorts to desperate measures in order to get out alive. As reckless as he was in not telling anyone his whereabouts, Ralston is no idiot – he might be cocky and at times come across as arrogant, but he is smart enough to know that he has to cut through his arm to save his life. The film doesn’t put Ralston on a pedestal, it presents him in a very matter of fact way – this is the situation he got himself into, and he did what he had to in order to get himself out.

You can easily compare Ralston with Christopher McCandless, another explorer whose story was told in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild (2007). The main difference between the two is experience, and in this case Ralston’s saves his life.

The film is very watchable, albeit long winded and boring at times. Ralston’s story is definitely captivating, but it’s around the 15 minute mark of the film that he becomes trapped and around the 87 minute mark when he frees himself. Franco certainly proves himself, carrying almost the whole film solo.

Despite this, the final scene brings about simultaneous feelings of sadness and elation. Being right there with Ralston the whole time of his ordeal and seeing him overcome all odds is truly magnificent. It took thirteen men and a hell of a lot of machinery to life the boulder high enough to retrieve Ralston’s arm – there was definitely no way he was getting out alive.

★★★★