What may be the most well-made movie of the year is also probably the hardest to sit through (unless you count Never Say Never). Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours,” is based off of the true ordeal of Aron Ralston, played by James Franco. The experience that has become synonymous to both the dangers of being alone in the wilderness and a testament to human willpower had a pretty large press following, so I do not feel like I am giving anything away by relating what happens. The movie is not about a twist. Going in we know how Aron is going to get himself out, so Boyle has to, and succeeds in taking our anticipation and mining it as far as it can go without boring us.
Similar to Ryan Reynolds in “Buried,” “127 Hours” is a movie confined to a single location and a single actor. While there are flashbacks and other forms of narrative intrusion, most of the movie is us looking at Franco and Franco looking back. Ralston has a handheld camera, and much of the film consists of the tape from this camera, or looking at Franco from the space directly behind the camera. It is a bold choice, considering the feelings of claustrophobia that arise, but it succeeds in bringing the audience close into the situation and helping us to connect with the ordeal and feel a bit of it ourselves.
We see Ralston as he begins slipping into insanity. He is fighting against nature and himself to survive and free himself from the rock, but it is inevitable that the rock will not move. As Ralston begins to lose hope he looks back on his life, to his childhood, an old girlfriend, and we see him living his life for the moment in a carefree way. He doesn’t think ahead; he is the type of person that would embark on a mountain biking trip alone without telling anyone where he is going. It is easy to see how he got into this situation, but despite his best efforts, he cannot get himself out of it and must resort to the one thing that he has yet to try.
At this point the audience will probably get squirmy, but I advise you to do your best to not avert your eyes. Boyle employs a few tricks that are a testament to his ability as a filmmaker. My favorite was his way of showing pain. Instead of just allowing Franco to scream and the visual to speak for itself, he produces a high-pitched, robotic, distorted sound. It is hard to describe, but the best I can think of is that it is a similar to the feeling when playing the board game Operation when you hit one of the sides. It has the effect of making us cringe and think of the worst pain we have ever felt. Boyle gets you to use your own imagination, instead of just letting blood speak for itself.
This is one of my favorite movies of the year, but I hesitate to recommend it. Make sure that you know what you are getting into before watching it. Franco’s performance is spectacular, and Danny Boyle shows that he is one of the best in the business right now as he weaves along a narrative with little substance and an inevitable conclusion, while still keeping us on the edge of our seat. See this movie, but maybe don’t eat a heavy meal beforehand.
Final Verdict: 8
Next Up: Love and Other Drugs
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