127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralstons remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. Throughout his journey Ralston recalls friends lovers family and the two hikers he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet
Review
Sometimes (even oftentimes) in the world of film criticism the word "triumphant" is thrown around. It's often used to describe a film perhaps more often a performance. I've certainly used it it's a term I like to pull out when a film seems to go beyond the call of duty. When it's more than art entertainment or a combination of both. When the story images and characters pop off the screen and go with you and the lasting impression left on you means something more than having killed a couple hours in a big dark room with a bunch of strangers. Now after watching 127 Hours I feel I've never used "triumphant" in the correct critical context before.
James Franco's performance is simply astounding. He as an actor is triumphant because his character is and because he delves into what it means to be bringing this incredible story to life on the big screen for mass consumption. This is a tough role Franco is basically putting on a oneman show and he does so elegantly. We feel Aron Ralston's pain because Franco feels his pain and shows it in every line of his face verbalizes it with every sigh and lets it control him even as he battles to take control back and find a way out of his dire situation.
It's pure masterful art. Franco is simply flawless. Trapped by the boulder much of his performance lies in his facial expressions and he is able to deftly switch from desperation to comedy to a brutal will to survive all while being barely able to move. I've rarely been so impressed by an actor's work Franco is wholly deserving of the Oscar.
Danny Boyle's kinetic energetic direction is a perfect match for Franco's easygoing goofiness and even when the film becomes grounded in the narrow canyon where Ralston was trapped Boyle always keeps things interesting. He and cowriter Simon Beaufoy weave flashbacks and hallucinations into Ralston's dilemma to great heartbreaking effect and the premonition that drives Ralston to finally dive wholeheartedly into amputating his own arm is breathtaking in its tenderness.
Also impressive is Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle's cinematography. Instead of letting the confined space limit their camera techniques they tackle every possible angle often bringing the audience uncomfortably close to the action. Shots through the bottom of Ralston's water bottle mark time and heighten the sense of urgency. The addition of home moviestyle footage brings Ralston even closer to the audience when he expresses his delayed gratitude to his family you'll likely find yourself thinking about the last time you told your parents how much you love them. It's a great device and is put to best use in one of the film's funniest scenes when Ralston interviews himself Gollumstyle. The combination of the dark humor varied cinematography and Franco's impressive facial dexterity pitch the scene perfectly it's a lighter moment that is nevertheless grounded in the gravity of the situation.
Complementing and combining Chediak and Mantle's beautiful shots is Jon Harris's dynamic editing. The use of splitscreen is particularly brilliant put to use in innovative ways throughout the film the bookend sequences mark Ralston's departure from and return to society and the technique in general represents the multiple facets of a seemingly simple tale. Yes when it comes down to it 127 Hours is a film about a mountain climber who gets stuck under a boulder and has to cut off his own arm. But it's so much more than that. It's about a man overcoming the physical emotional and intellectual strains of an unthinkable situation. It's about responsibility love and the will to live. Above all it's about the triumph of the human spirit show more clearly and beautifully here than in any other film I can think of.