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Wikipedia
James Franco: Aron Ralston
Kata Mara: Kristi
Amber Tamblyn: Megan
Sean Bott: Aron's Friend
Treat Williams: Aron's Father
Kate Burton: Aron's Mom
Koleman Stinger: Aron Age 5
Parker Hadley: Aron Age 15
Directed By: Danny Boyle
Written By: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy
Release Date: November 12, 2010
Running Time: 94 minutes
Aron Ralston is trapped in a place in which there is little to zero chance that he will be found. Screaming and struggling doesn't help. It only makes the conditions worse. He is not in a coffin (Buried), an elevator (Devil), or a ski lift (Frozen). Aron wound up in his position because he was scaling canyons perilously. He ended up falling in Blue John Canyon, and a large boulder lands on his arm. He did not tell anyone where he was going. He has a limited supply of food and water, and has exhausted himself trying every conceivable way to escape from his predicament. Aron is not unlike many characters in movies this year, but Aron's quandary, based on a true story and the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, is being captured by the lens of director Danny Boyle. As only Boyle is capable of, Aron's emotional and unbelievable story is given a can of Red Bull, and maybe a few dozen of those 5-Hour energy bottles. While intriguing, Boyle's overbearing styles robs the viewer of the pure experience.
127 Hours was made for those moviegoers that suffer from from a short attention span and/or grow restless easily. Boyle, always willing to showcase his versatility, has moved from his award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches story set in India, to Aron Ralston's heartwrenching 5+ days in the middle of nowhere. He is not content to allow the camera to just sit and focus on Aron. He infuses 127 Hours with a thunderously inspiring score from A.R. Rahman, a carefree prologue with two attractive young lasses in a private underwater cavern, fantasy sequences, flashbacks, fast-forwards, and a Partridge in a pear tree. One random factoid I would love to know is the average shot-length, which must be a record. The audience is hardly given a single moment to digest, soak in, and reflect upon the proceedings because the feeling of watching this is akin to being a pinball in a pinball machine. Where or when it stops nobody knows.
Aron is a risk taker. He climbs mountains, speeds his bicycle across steep cliffs and ravines, and even breaks up with blondes at sporting events. The film commences with those trusty stock footage shots of moving cars and huge crowds walking super fast throughout a city (with the help of special effects of course). Eventually it settles on Aron, who is preparing for his adventurous day at the canyons, his "second home" as he mentions later. We observe him as he gathers supplies at home before heading out for the day's activities: sustenance, a cheap leatherman tool, sunglasses, and a proficient camcorder just to name a few. Sadly he forgets his Swiss Army knife, and the camera makes a special point to inform us of this fact, letting everyone understand that he will regret this later. Via his shaky perspective, combined with booming soundtrack, we follow Aron has he glides over the rock formations. He spots novice explorers Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), who are lost and searching for a specific location. Being an expert on this area, he shows them the right way, charms them with his handsomeness, and provides them with a refreshing dip in the beautiful blue water before departing for his Blue John fate. The girls invite him to a party, and Aron nonchlalantly acts like he will attend. Kate Mara's Kristi describes him best with the line: "I don't think we factored into his day at all."
What happens to Aron is undeniably remarkable. There is no worry of spoilers really because unearthing the conclusion is not difficult. Unfortunately, this adaptation adds enough superfluous flair that would have trouble squeazing into Aron's menacing canyon. It's almost as if Danny Boyle is afraid to allow the camera to concentrate solely on Aron because if he doesn't shift gears often enough, the audience may doze off. This approach, which may be invigorating and dazzling to many, handicaps numerous facets of the production. Here Boyle caters to the preferences of the mainstream: Don't challenge them, just make sure they're not bored. Visually, this is an arresting picture from start to finish, but does this type of story require such extravagance? Or more importantly, do those tactics alter how we absorb the material?
Of all the films on isolationism, this is one of the most misguided. Buried, among others, proved that all we need is the star and a director who is willing to let him/her shine. It managed to convey all the essential emotions of the central figure, escalate the tension, and maintain the plot development utilizing simple means of achieving each. I felt as if I was there with Ryan Reynolds, and in 127 Hours that connection did not exist, and I felt I was just watching an ordinary movie. All the profligacy isn't needed. But that's just one example, of many that elect for the opposite method than those featured in this piece.
When an actor lands a role that will result in he/she being the primary focus for such an extended period of time, it affords them the opportunity to truly flex their muscles as a performer. James Franco has always been a pretty face, and a terrific actor when he wants to be (Milk, Pineapple Express), but he could have flourished magnificently with such a part. Instead, Boyle's overzealous filmmaking takes away from the verity that Franco could be carrying the load. One questions whether Boyle had enough faith in his star to burgeon wihtout the constant camera trickery and borderline manipulation. Franco, who also appeared in the satisfactory Howl this year, is convincing, resolute, and dedicated. It's a fine turn that could have been spectacular.
Take for instance the sporadic flashbacks of Ralston's ideal upbringing. As he is stuck, he thinks back to fond memories of his youth with his father, mother, and sister. We are already sympathetic to Aron because of his dilemma. It goes without saying that he will be thinking of loved ones, happy times, and regrets. When the director takes the viewer away from the present circumstances of such a situation in order to manifest these thoughts, it raises the question of why we are seeing them. Why are we observing more of one and not the other? Do they serve a purpose, or is just an excuse to re-affirm what we already know anyway: that Aron is a decent guy and deserves to be freed.
Aron's upbeat attitude is crucial in how he copes with the problem at hand. Sometimes though, Boyle can't help himself. During one of the sessions where he records himself just in case he does perish, he acts like he is being interviewed on a talk show. Boyle inserts a laugh track to pound home the humor, but had it been left out and kept natural, that scene would have assumed a deeper resonance of Aron's fluctuating mindset. Make no mistake, Franco was a superb candidate to play Aron. He exudes the boldness and vigor that shapes the character, but so many times when the chance emerged to demonstrate his abilities, he was undercut by the direction.
Danny Boyle is a director that never really settles into a groove. When his name is mentioned in a discussion, it's not easy to immediately think of his chief strength or area of expertise. Over the years he has established a fervent following and an increasingly positive reputation. He must pride himself on being the Magellan of filmmakers, always leaping from one genre to the next, never resting on one category, and aiming to hit them all one day. He seems to enjoy finding unique and different material apart from what he has made prior to that point. The frantic energy laced in each effort of his oeuvre is the trait that makes most of his films so compulsively watchable, yet one could argue that his main attribute does a bang up job of overshadowing the weakness in some of the substance. In other words, sometimes I don't see the magic others seem to.
The "true story" factor will undoubtedly win more people over than one from a fictional screenplay. That is understandable because it makes for a gripping conversation piece. The real story is amazing enough, but Danny Boyle spends too much time toying with our senses. In one sequence, it starts to rain and Aron's canyon floods with water, which soon loosens the tightness of his arm. This turns out to be a fantasy, and that sort of cheating is a routine in 127 Hours and ultimately a significant portion of the impact of the ending has dissipated. 127 Hours is more about what Aron's thinking than what he's experiencing. It was prevented from reaching its full potential.
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