127 Hours Review

For a film set mostly in a small canyon, following just one man (The brilliant James Franco as Aron Ralston), Danny Boyle's 127 Hours is an excellent movie filled with tension that keeps your attention throughout Aron's terrible ordeal.

It's amazing to think that 127 Hours is a true story of a man falling into a canyon and getting a rock stuck on his arm and being stuck there for days and resorting to cutting his own arm off. But it's equally amazing that Danny Boyle and James Franco were able to capture what happened and create a very watchable hour and a half film and keep you hooked. James Franco certainly deserved his Oscar nomination for displaying a rollercoaster of emotions which range from excitement, anger and fear to some craziness. The film completely relies on him and he proves up to the challenge keeping you hooked to the screen and really believing and sympathising which his plight.

When I heard Danny Boyle was doing this movie I did wonder how he could possibly do a film about a guy stuck in a cave. But everything about the film really works. From the stunning shots of the Utah desert, to claustrophobic and isolated feel of the canyon with only glimmers of sunlight. The tension of the film is also helped by the audience knowing the final outcome, that to free himself Aron has to cut his own arm off or remain stuck and die. Throughout 127 Hours you see him exhaust all other options of moving the rock and attempt to come to terms with his life and the decisions he's made that had lead him to this point. Despite even knowing the outcome, Danny Boyle really makes you hope he finds another way out of this hell.

The scenes where Aron begins to cut off his arm aren't really as graphic as I was expecting but certainly made me feel uneasy as he broke his arm then began slicing away with a blunt knife. Again it's all the more horrifying that someone actually went through this! It's also crazy that in real life Aron still goes canyoneering with just the one arm. This film has put me off ever doing it with two arms!

I highly recommend 127 Hours as one of the better films I have in recent years and whilst not a classic, it definitely deserves the high praise it has received. The story is great, James Franco is great and Danny Boyle is again on form and I can't wait for his next film.

Rating: B