127 Hours (2010)
Rating: 7/10
127 Hours, the latest film from director Danny Boyle of Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire fame, features sequences of stylistic peril, humor and one of the most gruesome scenes in recent memory.
Unfortunately, although the real life story of mountain climber Aron Ralston may be harrowing and courageous, the film manages to fall in a trap itself where the story isn’t strong enough to sustain a full length motion picture.
Rugged and revving to go, young Ralston, played by James Franco, travels to the most desolate desserts to rock climb and bike across the terrain. Every so often, he runs into nearby tourists and acts as a tour guide; showing them around the environment and pointing out his favorite secret spots. This time, after running into two young hikers, played by Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn, Aron decides to explore Moab, Utah when he’s finished.
Relaxed and care-free, Ralston accidentally slips and falls down a cliff where a boulder falls after him and sandwiches his forearm between it and the cliff. Ralston is then, subjected to fate, must fight and take drastic measures to survive.
There’s no doubt that Boyle is a sensational director. He’s shown in films like Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting that he has a unique sense of visual style. Here, it’s no different. Boyle uses digital cinematography and various close-ups to capture the emotional roller coaster Ralston goes on during his 127 hours under the boulder. In the film Boyle directs cinematographers Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle to get up close and personal with Franco to establish how tight his surroundings are and represent his soaring stress level.
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Boyle also makes use of quick editing cuts and split screen maneuvers to transfer the hectic adrenaline going through Ralson’s veins to an audience. Editor Jon Harris is extremely competent in setting up this chaos that remains intact throughout the film. Recalling a film in Boyle’s past, the overall feel of 127 Hours reminded me of the hallucination scenes from The Beach (an underrated masterpiece of Boyle’s), mixed with an hour and half-long Mountain Dew commercial. This works until the story starts to wear thin.
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy are able to create something original with their script while sticking faithfully to the actual material but the script itself runs its course fast. I never felt peril until the last third of the movie because our protagonist’s motives aren’t set up well enough.
Of course, the stakes are high. If he doesn’t make it out from the rock in time, he’ll die. However, the film portrays him too care-free, with nothing to lose. He doesn’t have a family of his own, he has separated himself from his parents and everyone around him. It may sound cold-blooded but with Franco’s portrayal of Ralston, there was nothing in particular to root for.
That said, 32-year-old Franco portrays a care-free teenager successfully. He has been getting Oscar buzz in regards to his performance but the caliber is no where near that ball park. However, it may be the best dramatic work he’s done. During the scenes where he’s forced to think outside the box in order to get his arm free, his balance between heroic and fearful is exceptionally portrayed.
However, both Franco’s performance and the story itself get over shadowed by how anxious and forceful the visuals are.
At first, especially during the opening credits, Boyle’s style is refreshing and visually appealing, but ecause the script feels feeble and Franco’s character isn’t fully developed, the style immediately takes the front seat. The movie immediately becomes a case where the audience is paying more attention to how the film looks than to the emotional impact Boyle and Beaufoy are trying to portray.
Overall, the film is very good but has missed opportunities. I have no doubt that Boyle and Beaufoy tried their best to match the passion Boyle had about the project. You can sense the rawness from behind the camera but not from the pen. Judging by how many hallucinations Ralston has in 127 Hours, it’s a possibility that the subject matter just wasn’t meant for a feature film adaptation.
As for the gruesome scene that will have everyone talking, it’s terribly hard to describe it without giving away key points. All I’ll say is that I have a very strong stomach and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen something that has made me wince and feel as faint as I did during that three minute sequence. No matter how cranked up the style was in this film and how little emotional impact the film had on me, that was the standout scene where the film was undeniably successful in its emotional resonance.
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