Plot: Based on a true story that happened in 2003, mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) becomes trapped under a boulder and must resort to drastic measures in order to survive. During the 127 hours where he is trapped, he reflects on his life.
Review: This movie is phenomenal. Simply phenomenal.
This is James Franco and Danny Boyle's film. It's all there's. James Franco is essentially a one-man show in this and he does an incredible job. We have a brief appearance from two girls that Aron meets and some flashbacks of Aron's family, but other than that, at least 90% of the film, if not more than that, focuses on Aron.
In James' performance, we see Aron's carelessness, joy in living in the moment in the beginning. When he becomes trapped, we see a different side of Aron. We see a man who is scared and has regrets of what he's done and what he could've done to make things better in his life. Even his simple facial expressions, his pain and grunts when he tries to feel himself could send chills down your spine. James was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor last year and he rightfully earned that nomination. I still believe that if Colin Firth hadn't been nominated for The King's Speech, James Franco would've probably won.
Danny Boyle is a fantastic director. I find that he is a very visual director. You can see it with certain shots like a cold water bottle, certain mountains, the lake and even of the boulder itself. The film is very visual and certain visuals support the film's intensity. Like when the boulder falls on Aron's arm, it's a great shot because you can practically feel Aron's pain when it happens.
As for the scene itself in which Aron resorts to drastic measures to free himself, it wasn't entirely as gory as I had suspected. It's still gory nonetheless. But what's so chilling about that scene isn't the gore itself, but the intensity, determination and pain that James Franco displays during that scene. It's very difficult to watch. The entire film is suspenseful and keeps you on your toes, but that particular scene can make you turn away for a while.
127 Hours is an intense and brilliant film, that's one of the best films that was released in 2010.
Rating: 4.5/5
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