Film: 127 Hours
Director: Danny Boyle
Written By: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (Screenplay)
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Starring: James Franco
Danny Boyle is a bona fide genius. A living legend. The greatest British director working today. He's literally only had 1 and a third misfires throughout his entire career (The Beach, and that final third of Sunshine where it devolved into a rubbish slasher flick). He is one of my favourite directors of all time. He's tackled nearly all genres and conquered every single one of them.
So when it was announced that he would tackle a true story about a man who went mountaineering, got his arm stuck by a rock and, 5 days later, amputated it to escape, even I was sceptical about how the results would turn out. How could a film featuring only one man being trapped for 90 minutes be interesting? As it turns out, it?s absolutely brilliant. An incredible, edge-of-your-seat drama with enough pace and clever editing to keep things interesting and a suitably superb lead turn from James Franco to make that one man one of the best protagonists of recent memory.
A quick recap of the basic outline of the story. In April 2003, Aron Ralston (Franco) went mountaineering in Blue John Canyon when a boulder dislodged itself and crushed his right forearm against the canyon wall. Trapped with no phone, dwindling supplies of water and food and no one aware of where he is; Ralston starts to try and dislodge the boulder and reflects upon all of his faults in his life. Eventually, he amputates his own arm in order to escape (don't worry, it's not a spoiler if it's a true story, is it?) and is rescued.
When people talk about 127 Hours, they are going to talk about three things. James Franco, the direction, and the amputation scene. So let's deal with them in order.
When he gets into the situation that he does, you initially feel like Ralston had it coming to him. He initially comes off a bit self absorbed and far too much of an adrenaline junkie. But as events go on, you really feel for him and you really root for him to get out. This is mostly due to James Franco. The dude is sensational, grounding Ralston and making him really cheery and approachable. Every little confessional he puts towards his camera, every panicked scream and every humorous thing that he says makes him that much more lovable. Franco deserves every single award that he is up for and will hopefully get.
The direction is brilliant. Every single shot has purpose and every single shot brings you closer to the action. Literally, in most cases, as the camera work is mainly handheld and focuses mostly on close-ups. It's the best use of handheld I've ever seen and genuinely makes me more invested in the action. But I can't talk about the direction without mentioning the editing. The work put in by Jon Harris is not only stylish but also quite innovative. The opening juxtaposition between Ralston preparing to head out and people going through their mundane lives is extremely effective. The digital encoding when Ralston falls off his bike is great and the clever editing comes into particular brilliance during a conversation Ralston has with himself and the flashbacks that fill in his life.
Now, about that amputation scene. Is it at all weird that those roughly three minutes of extreme gore made me wince, cringe and feel sick more than any of the Saw or Hostel or other such gore-fests do in their entire run time? Allow me to answer that: it isn't! But it's not just what you see that makes it horrible. It's not gore for the sake of gore. By having gotten to know Ralston and making him so likeable, you really care for him. You are feeling his pain as he slices through his arm. You suffer as and when he does. The investment in the character makes the scene that much more memorable and that much more horrifying to watch. Although I'd like to note the moment that nearly made me vomit is not what you see. It's what you hear.
This is the shortest feeling 90 minutes I've ever spent in the cinema. It's the best thing that Danny Boyle has ever done, finally knocking off Trainspotting. It's got the best lead performance I've seen in years. The music by A. R. Rahman is brilliant and the minimalistic moments of it are the best. I doubt I'm seeing better this year. Too early for me to call it the Film of the Year? Just you wait!
Unless you are currently afflicted with an illness that physically prohibits you from seeing great movies, then stop what you are doing and go and see 127 Hours! No really. Go! Now!
5 out of 5.
Director: Danny Boyle
Written By: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (Screenplay)
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Starring: James Franco
Danny Boyle is a bona fide genius. A living legend. The greatest British director working today. He's literally only had 1 and a third misfires throughout his entire career (The Beach, and that final third of Sunshine where it devolved into a rubbish slasher flick). He is one of my favourite directors of all time. He's tackled nearly all genres and conquered every single one of them.
So when it was announced that he would tackle a true story about a man who went mountaineering, got his arm stuck by a rock and, 5 days later, amputated it to escape, even I was sceptical about how the results would turn out. How could a film featuring only one man being trapped for 90 minutes be interesting? As it turns out, it?s absolutely brilliant. An incredible, edge-of-your-seat drama with enough pace and clever editing to keep things interesting and a suitably superb lead turn from James Franco to make that one man one of the best protagonists of recent memory.
A quick recap of the basic outline of the story. In April 2003, Aron Ralston (Franco) went mountaineering in Blue John Canyon when a boulder dislodged itself and crushed his right forearm against the canyon wall. Trapped with no phone, dwindling supplies of water and food and no one aware of where he is; Ralston starts to try and dislodge the boulder and reflects upon all of his faults in his life. Eventually, he amputates his own arm in order to escape (don't worry, it's not a spoiler if it's a true story, is it?) and is rescued.
When people talk about 127 Hours, they are going to talk about three things. James Franco, the direction, and the amputation scene. So let's deal with them in order.
When he gets into the situation that he does, you initially feel like Ralston had it coming to him. He initially comes off a bit self absorbed and far too much of an adrenaline junkie. But as events go on, you really feel for him and you really root for him to get out. This is mostly due to James Franco. The dude is sensational, grounding Ralston and making him really cheery and approachable. Every little confessional he puts towards his camera, every panicked scream and every humorous thing that he says makes him that much more lovable. Franco deserves every single award that he is up for and will hopefully get.
The direction is brilliant. Every single shot has purpose and every single shot brings you closer to the action. Literally, in most cases, as the camera work is mainly handheld and focuses mostly on close-ups. It's the best use of handheld I've ever seen and genuinely makes me more invested in the action. But I can't talk about the direction without mentioning the editing. The work put in by Jon Harris is not only stylish but also quite innovative. The opening juxtaposition between Ralston preparing to head out and people going through their mundane lives is extremely effective. The digital encoding when Ralston falls off his bike is great and the clever editing comes into particular brilliance during a conversation Ralston has with himself and the flashbacks that fill in his life.
Now, about that amputation scene. Is it at all weird that those roughly three minutes of extreme gore made me wince, cringe and feel sick more than any of the Saw or Hostel or other such gore-fests do in their entire run time? Allow me to answer that: it isn't! But it's not just what you see that makes it horrible. It's not gore for the sake of gore. By having gotten to know Ralston and making him so likeable, you really care for him. You are feeling his pain as he slices through his arm. You suffer as and when he does. The investment in the character makes the scene that much more memorable and that much more horrifying to watch. Although I'd like to note the moment that nearly made me vomit is not what you see. It's what you hear.
This is the shortest feeling 90 minutes I've ever spent in the cinema. It's the best thing that Danny Boyle has ever done, finally knocking off Trainspotting. It's got the best lead performance I've seen in years. The music by A. R. Rahman is brilliant and the minimalistic moments of it are the best. I doubt I'm seeing better this year. Too early for me to call it the Film of the Year? Just you wait!
Unless you are currently afflicted with an illness that physically prohibits you from seeing great movies, then stop what you are doing and go and see 127 Hours! No really. Go! Now!
5 out of 5.
