Imagine. You’re trapped in a small canyon somewhere in the middle of Utah. Know one knows where you are, you have no cell phone. Your arm is crushed in between a boulder and the canyon wall. You are running out of water and all you have is climbing gear and a small multi-tool.
These circumstances were 100% true for Aron Ralston, who in 2003 survived for five days trapped in a canyon, finally leading him to amputating his own arm and narrowly escaping death. 127 Hours captures the remarkable feat of survival Ralston went through. 127 Hours is shot very well, with great acting and intense realism.
James Franco (Spiderman, Pineapple Express) plays Aron Ralston. He is one of the few people on the planet who has seen the actual footage Ralston captured on his video camera in the few days he was trapped in the canyon. Franco had a large weight on his shoulders to deliver the performance which would do the story justice, and he delivers. When the film closes up into the tiny canyon we feel the pain and frustration Ralston is going through. This is a difficult thing to find in a film, but Franco and director Danny Boyle have managed to find it here.
The direction by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is terrific. While Slumdog Millionaire captures a boy’s entire life, 127 Hours shows only a glimpse into a man’s most difficult struggle. The opening of the film contains many wide sweeping shots of the picturesque Canyonland, Utah. The camera then goes down in the canyon with Ralston and we get a very claustrophobic feel. By the end, when Aron escapes, we witness the large and open landscapes once again, portraying Ralston’s freedom and that he once again has his whole life in front of him.
The film follows Ralston’s story with such precision that even Ralston himself said once it gets to the canyon scene, it is as close to a documentary as you could get without having him in it. The cinematography is done very well to create the atmosphere of the canyon. The climatic moment is of course when Ralston cuts off his own arm. This scene is handled so well it is almost unbelievable. 127 Hours makes you feel every bit of it, the emotional and physical pain. The makeup artists collaborated very well to create a scene that is hauntingly real. The way the camera lets you see certain aspects and lets your mind fill in the blanks is great. However, no matter how well a scene is filmed, our imagination and perception only scratches the surface of how painful it must be to cut off your own arm, especially after four nights with little sleep, and having to drink your own urine to survive.
127 Hours is a great movie. It shows pain and determination, and the triumph of human spirit over that pain. James Franco is magnificent, the direction, cinematography, music and make up all fit together well to turn a story about 5 days stuck in a canyon into a very powerful and entertaining piece of film.