With James Franco as Aron Ralston, this movie is a hit.
127 Hours star James Franco, who is magnificent as Aron Ralston. In the first 20 minutes of the film, we see that he’s a daredevil, a free-spirited soul who enjoys the thrill of adventure. He has a reckless charm that’s irresistible to the two ladies he meets that first afternoon at the canyon, before he is stuck and his ordeal begins.
For the next 70 minutes or so, we watch as he struggles to free himself. When nothing works and death seems imminent, his life flashes before his eyes.
This film transported me to the centre of their action, watching 127 Hours my mind repeatedly goes over the same thought: What if it was me there? What would I have done?
Using hallucinations, flashbacks, and a frenetic editing style, the director Danny Boyle turns a grim, static situation into a thrilling emotional and visual ride. Surprisingly, there are moments of humor too, and they never appear fake. In one of the film’s best scenes Ralston, who is recording heartfelt video messages to his family on a small camera, impersonates a radio broadcast in which he does all the voices.
Everything of course is building up to that harrowing scene where Ralston decides to sever his limb. Those who’re squeamish about the sight of blood should know that Boyle doesn’t shy away from showing the amputation. We see Ralston picking through nerves and chipping away at the bone breathlessly until, just like that, he is separated from the arm, which remains stuck behind the rock.
I think if i were Ralston, i would just die there and not even reach the 3 day period.
127 Hours is an overwhelming tale of courage under fire. It’s about hope, survival, and about choosing life. Boyle tells this claustrophobic story with such visual and dramatic zeal that in the end, it amounts to so much more than just the horror of that amputation. Indeed the image that ultimately choked me up isn’t that of the blade slicing through flesh, but of Ralston seeing help in the end and finding his voice to summon it.
I can’t even breath clearly after the 20 min period.
I’m going with 9 out of 10 for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. It’s an experience strictly for the big screen. Prepare to be overwhelmed.
- Jason Esguerra
