127 Hours -A DVD Review
*As always this is a spoiler free zone. This film is based on a highly publicized true story so we go into it knowing how it ends. This film isn't about the ending, but the journey to get there. Just so you know.*
This is another film I've been wanting to see but hadn't. Well, now I can say I have. The title alone lends itself to so many good 'bad review' one-liners; "It FELT like 127 hours just watching it!", or "I wanted to cut my arm off just to get out of the theatre!". Director Danny Boyle was flirting with a bad pun Hindenburg! Fortunately for him this was far from a disaster. 127 Hours is based on the true story written by title character Aron Ralston, who became trapped in a crevasse while canyoneering in the middle of nowhere. He was, as the title of his memoir points out, 'Trapped Between a Rock and a Hard Place'. After enduring five days of living hell as his arm slowly rots under the weight of a boulder he has to cut himself free if he wants to escape. I remember reading about this story when it was in the news, and was watching when he told his story to David Letterman. It's an incredible story! You would think it impossible to tell it effectively, but thanks to Ralston's best-selling memoir and Danny Boyle's incredible gift for storytelling we have this amazing film. Man oh man.
Here's the skinny:
Aron Ralston (James Franco) heads out in the early morning to hit a favourite climbing spot in Utah. While there he explores an unfamiliar canyon and trips, dislodging a boulder which falls deep into the canyon with him and pins his arm against the canyon wall. Initially angry his emotions soon give way to the myriad phases one must feel before death, except for one: acceptance. Somehow he is able to stay alive and motivated for five days until he realizes that the only way out is to amputate his own arm. But get this; after he chops through his arm with a cheap, blunt multi-tool he emerges from the canyon and rappels down a sheer 65 foot rock face. Then, after six hours of hiking he finds a family who ultimately has him airlifted to safety. According to Wikipedia but not in the film, he eventually returned to the site of the accident to spread the ashes of the amputated arm, which was retrieved by park officials.
First thing you pick up on is the direction. Danny Boyle is working at a frenetic pace, cutting from angle to angle, inserting multiple views in one screen, pulling flashbacks and flash-forwards, and giving you everything you need to feel what Ralston was feeling. Ralston himself said, upon seeing the film, "so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama." Not to remind you but the source material was Ralston's own account. Nuff said. Franco did a fantastic job as Ralston, playing the cocky sportsman to an almost arrogant 'T', but retaining a humanity and likability that could easily have been lost in all the possible histrionics. This was a calm, thoughtful character who was self-aware and assured but still showed weakness in his desperation. I think we root for him because he's the cool but down-to-earth guy we'd all like as a friend. He never quite lets you in, but any glimpse is gold. There's a moment in the film where the character, in his acceptance of the situation, says something like, "this rock has been waiting for me all my life". I think this role has been waiting for James Franco all his life. What a way to come out of the Spiderman movies! The story is handled with minimal fictionalization by Boyle and co-writer Simon Beaufoy. The early scenes of Aron and the lady hikers he meets are fiction, but the time in the crevasse is, well like Aron said above. Now, I'll reference the amputation scene. Although reports say that during several early screenings a few viewers fainted at this point in the film, it wasn't over the top. I think Boyle showed enough to make it visceral for the audience without making it grotesque. What was shown needed to be shown. It was a pretty fucked up moment in this guys life, and a defining one. It wouldn't have been a complete film without a faithful treatment of that scene. It was done well. I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to see a simple but powerful story told with the benefit of all the resources available to a gifted director like Danny Boyle (Slum Dog Millionaire), and the talent of an underrated actor like James Franco. He's won tons of awards for his work and even an Oscar nod, though he probably won't get it. Not because he wasn't great, but because the Academy Awards are full of shit. (Halle Berry, anyone? Monster's Ball? Seriously!?) At the end of the day the reason I love this film is the message it delivers. In lieu of a surprise ending you'll have to wait for the message. It's delivered very subtly but very profoundly. We are actually privy to one of the most personal moments in Ralston's life which has nothing to do with the scenes in the canyon, and it made me weep like a baby. Discover it for yourself. I promised no spoilers, and believe me, this movie wil surprise you in so many ways. Enjoy.
127 Hours is not yet available on DVD; that's March 1st. I'm looking forward to some juicy extras like interviews with Aron Ralston and James Franco. We'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, see this film.
This is another film I've been wanting to see but hadn't. Well, now I can say I have. The title alone lends itself to so many good 'bad review' one-liners; "It FELT like 127 hours just watching it!", or "I wanted to cut my arm off just to get out of the theatre!". Director Danny Boyle was flirting with a bad pun Hindenburg! Fortunately for him this was far from a disaster. 127 Hours is based on the true story written by title character Aron Ralston, who became trapped in a crevasse while canyoneering in the middle of nowhere. He was, as the title of his memoir points out, 'Trapped Between a Rock and a Hard Place'. After enduring five days of living hell as his arm slowly rots under the weight of a boulder he has to cut himself free if he wants to escape. I remember reading about this story when it was in the news, and was watching when he told his story to David Letterman. It's an incredible story! You would think it impossible to tell it effectively, but thanks to Ralston's best-selling memoir and Danny Boyle's incredible gift for storytelling we have this amazing film. Man oh man.
Here's the skinny:
Aron Ralston (James Franco) heads out in the early morning to hit a favourite climbing spot in Utah. While there he explores an unfamiliar canyon and trips, dislodging a boulder which falls deep into the canyon with him and pins his arm against the canyon wall. Initially angry his emotions soon give way to the myriad phases one must feel before death, except for one: acceptance. Somehow he is able to stay alive and motivated for five days until he realizes that the only way out is to amputate his own arm. But get this; after he chops through his arm with a cheap, blunt multi-tool he emerges from the canyon and rappels down a sheer 65 foot rock face. Then, after six hours of hiking he finds a family who ultimately has him airlifted to safety. According to Wikipedia but not in the film, he eventually returned to the site of the accident to spread the ashes of the amputated arm, which was retrieved by park officials.
First thing you pick up on is the direction. Danny Boyle is working at a frenetic pace, cutting from angle to angle, inserting multiple views in one screen, pulling flashbacks and flash-forwards, and giving you everything you need to feel what Ralston was feeling. Ralston himself said, upon seeing the film, "so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama." Not to remind you but the source material was Ralston's own account. Nuff said. Franco did a fantastic job as Ralston, playing the cocky sportsman to an almost arrogant 'T', but retaining a humanity and likability that could easily have been lost in all the possible histrionics. This was a calm, thoughtful character who was self-aware and assured but still showed weakness in his desperation. I think we root for him because he's the cool but down-to-earth guy we'd all like as a friend. He never quite lets you in, but any glimpse is gold. There's a moment in the film where the character, in his acceptance of the situation, says something like, "this rock has been waiting for me all my life". I think this role has been waiting for James Franco all his life. What a way to come out of the Spiderman movies! The story is handled with minimal fictionalization by Boyle and co-writer Simon Beaufoy. The early scenes of Aron and the lady hikers he meets are fiction, but the time in the crevasse is, well like Aron said above. Now, I'll reference the amputation scene. Although reports say that during several early screenings a few viewers fainted at this point in the film, it wasn't over the top. I think Boyle showed enough to make it visceral for the audience without making it grotesque. What was shown needed to be shown. It was a pretty fucked up moment in this guys life, and a defining one. It wouldn't have been a complete film without a faithful treatment of that scene. It was done well. I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to see a simple but powerful story told with the benefit of all the resources available to a gifted director like Danny Boyle (Slum Dog Millionaire), and the talent of an underrated actor like James Franco. He's won tons of awards for his work and even an Oscar nod, though he probably won't get it. Not because he wasn't great, but because the Academy Awards are full of shit. (Halle Berry, anyone? Monster's Ball? Seriously!?) At the end of the day the reason I love this film is the message it delivers. In lieu of a surprise ending you'll have to wait for the message. It's delivered very subtly but very profoundly. We are actually privy to one of the most personal moments in Ralston's life which has nothing to do with the scenes in the canyon, and it made me weep like a baby. Discover it for yourself. I promised no spoilers, and believe me, this movie wil surprise you in so many ways. Enjoy.
127 Hours is not yet available on DVD; that's March 1st. I'm looking forward to some juicy extras like interviews with Aron Ralston and James Franco. We'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, see this film.
posted by johnnykocktail at 11:59 pm
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