127 Hours – Movie Review ~ Celebrity

Sunday, February 27, 2011

If you're planning on seeing 127 Hours then chances are you know what the film is about this alone plays a very important factor when watching the film and its something that Oscar winning director Danny Boyle taps into throughout the film.

For those who dont know, 127 Hours is a film based on the real life account of what happened to adventurer Aaron Ralston when he found himself pinned within the narrow walls of Blue John Canyon, trapped there for days Ralston (played here by James Franco) found freedom by severing his trapped arm with a blunt pen knife.
Knowing the fate of Ralston going into this movie provides a sense of inevitability but dont be mistaken, just because you know the outcome before the opening credits does not make this movie predictable in the slightest.

With us being in the thick of awards season then you will have no doubt heard how good 127 Hours is as a movie, but rather than follow suit im here to tell you good of an experience 127 Hours is because you could throw as many adjectives at this as you like but there is non more fitting than the aforementioned. The film starts off by showing the busy, adventurous, independent goofball that is Aaron Ralston trekker of vast lands and explorer of the wild. Armed with his backpack, walkman and sense of freedom he eventually meets two lost ladies in need of direction, although it could seem a little frivolous to some its this small window before the incident which really puts the rest of the film into focus. Although this only acts as a precursor it gives us a glimpse or snapshot if you like into what Aaron is like as a person. It isnt before long that the group depart and Aaron finds himself heading along the canyons solo once more, it is here that he falls prey to the infamous accident which places him quite literally between a rock and a hard place.

What unravels from here really is an exhilarating ride of emotions which see's Franco play the lead with an incredibly vast spectrum of range and tone, going from rational to delusional all the way through to showing us remorse and sorrow which he delivers with the deepest sincerity. But out of all the emotions that Aaron and subsequently we the audience go through the strongest and most potent is the sense of triumph which breaks through when Ralston pictures what his life could be like, when he truly realises that he cannot give up because there is so much to live for, so many people to live for. In an interview with the real life Aaron Ralston he described this moment as an ephiphany and thats exactly how it comes across in the film. As this dawns upon him, when he realises what is out there it jumps straight of the screen and into your heart with such a striking sense of euphoria. But to find such liberation he must first escape from the obstacle which stands before him, which leads us to THAT scene.

Now prior to sitting down to watch this film I was a little unsure about this scene, im no pushover in terms of on screen violence but when you take a second to think about how exactly one would go about removing an arm with a blunt knife it does stop you in your tracks a little. You may have read media articles which have took the angle that the scene is horrific and grotesque, that people have fainted and vomited and that basically its the most shocking thing since Linda Blair lost her cool but dont believe the hype! Yes it obviously is graphic, I mean its a guy cutting off his arm BUT its nowhere near the horror show some people would make it out to be. Boyle dosent shy away from the blood and it does make you wince...a lot, but its not a full on close up dissection. The editing works around the incident really well and manages to make it a truly striking scene but not something that could mess you up for life like the fire extinguisher scene in Gaspar Noe's Irreversible.

After the scene is over there is a real sense of catharsis, like you as an audience member have been along on this incredible journey of self realisation and self discovery too. This is like I mentioned in part due to the stella performance from James Franco but its also brought to fruition by the intricate and evoking direction from Boyle, the beautiful and diverse cinematography and the shapely, provocative narrative formed by the movies incredible editing team.

I really cant recommend 127 Hours enough, its funny, its heartbreaking, its introspective, its symbolic, its captivating, its life affirming in short its everything you really could want a movie to be. It just shy's away from a perfect ten because its not a film you could watch over and over again, it's a film you save for special occasions but most importantly its a film you need to see.