Film: 127 Hours

When I first heard about this film like many people I wasn’t sure what to expect. I love the work of Danny Boyle, but the plot slightly put me off at first. For anyone who doesn’t know the film is based on the true story of Aron Ralston who was trapped under a rock in a crevice in the middle of nowhere and has to go to desperate measures to survive. But right from the opening scene I realised this was going to be another great film from Danny Boyle.

The movie starts with a montage, in similar style to Trainspotting, set to the song ‘Never Hear Surf Music Again’ by Free Blood.. Montages are used a few more times in the film, but are best used in this opening scene showing Aron set off on his journey. Shortly after this Aron is shown having fun in the caves and runs into two pretty girls who he flirts with. If you’ve heard nothing about the film you may be shocked by the shift in tone that occurs about 15 minutes in when he becomes trapped alone with no hope of rescue. You see back in 2003 Aron travelled to a canyon in Utah with no phone and without telling anyone where he was going.

The film deals with Aron slowly realising that he only has one option to get out alive: to cut off his arm. Many people have been put off by this film due to what they’ve heard about the graphicness of the scene in which Aron removes his arm but not much is really seen apart from a lot of blood and the cutting of one nerve. This scene is made traumatising to watch by the performance of James Franco and the use of a screeching sound as he cuts through the nerve which hits home far better than a lot of carnage could have.
As can be expected Boyle’s film is wonderfully shot, making excellent use of enclosed spaces to capture the isolation Aron feels. Sunshine is used during the daytime scenes to show hope, and at the very end Aron walks out into the light showing a sense of liberation. The film also uses a lot of handy cam footage as Aron documents how he’s become trapped on his video camera. In certain scenes Aron flashes back to happier times or hallucinates his escape through various means allowing for some standard Boyle brilliance, in particular one scene of a flood which brings back memories of a certain scene involving a toilet in Trainspotting. Handled by another director this film could of been sappy and failed miserably, Boyle is what helps it succeed.

Franco essentially carries the film single-handedly as he is trapped alone for most of the films run-time of 94 minutes. His performance is magnificent, capturing Aron’s desperation so well, which accounts for much of the film’s success. What’s remarkable is how similar Franco looks to the man he’s playing, an example of Boyle’s pitch-perfect casting.

Boyle films are well known for their great use of popular music and this film is no exception. He uses music so well to capture the mood of the scene from the fun of the opening to the harshness of Aron trapped and the liberation that comes at the film’s end. ‘Lovely Day’ is used to great (and ironic) effect when Aron is trapped and the original score wonderfully accompanies the events on screen.

127 Hour all in all is a film about survival and choosing life, oh and telling people where you’re going when you head off into the middle of nowhere.