Review: 127 Hours

4.0

0.0 (0)

Almost 5 days have gone by. Your slowly rotting arm is pinned between a rock face and a heavy boulder that fell on it from above....welcome to triplew.me's review of 127 Hours.

Imagine it. You're beyond tired. You've no food, your water has gone, and you can’t stomach drinking your own urine again. Worst of all, you know that no one is coming to rescue you… Escape seems clearly impossible; apart from one obvious and very painful solution...

This is the deadly serious predicament confronting real-life young thrill seeker and adrenalin junkie Aron Ralston (played ably by James Franco).

The film is set in 2003 during a mountain-bike ride and trek into the Canyonlands National Park (Utah), which as we now know by the famous story, would end in near tragedy; if it wasn’t for half a bottle of water, a small amount of food, and a cheap Chinese muti-tool/pocket knife.

Film maker Danny Boyle needs little introduction; a seasoned director with near-classic films like Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and the multi award winning Slumdog Millionaire under his belt. Here with 127 Hours, he delivers a minimal and cleverly sparse look at one mans fight for survival.

During various sequences in the film, Boyle’s witty use of peculiar flash-back scenes tells Aron Ralston’s personal story quite brilliantly. At one point of his ordeal, Ralston visualizes himself on a cheesy TV talk show; complete with his own inner dialogue as the sarcastic and condescending TV host, various audience members and telephone callers. In this rather hallucinogenic make-believe TV show, obvious questions are being asked as to how and why he has gotten in this “tight” little pickle. Eventually Ralston answers himself with; “You didn’t tell anyone where you were going did you”??!!

His utter disappointment about the current mess he's in is somewhat comedic. So, back to that Chinese pocket knife…

After more than a hundred hours trapped, sheer determination and the will to survive fully kicks in. Here arrives the moment of truth; and it’s not for the squeamish or faint-of-heart.

Remembering that this is a real life story makes it all the more inspirational. Much praise must go to James Franco (who appears in virtually every scene) for his flawless performance; he will no doubt get a deserved Oscar nod this year.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

Editor review

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