Narrow spaces and a narrow story, but director Danny Boyle gives us a wide range of brilliant imagery—from shaky, digital-video footage to high-resolution textures. 127 Hours is undoubtedly, an unflinching look at a real life, grueling experience.
If you've seen the promotions or read the book the film is based on, than you'll know that this is a true story of an adventurous, free-wheeling man, Aron Ralston, played with such bravado by James Franco. The film is entirely about Aron's unfavorable predicament; his arm gets pinned under a bolder while rock climbing between the dangerous crevices of Utah's canyons.
Director Danny Boyle applies a vibrant, “hip-hop” style, integrating eye-popping split screen effects, pulse-pounding music, and subtle use of CGI (computer graphics imagery). Basically, this is just as much Boyle's film as it is Aron Ralston's true story. What I admire about 127 Hours is how the audience gets to know Aron as he reflects on his life in the midst of his injurious situation; we get to understand his strong sense of adventure and turbulent past relationships. Sometimes, when your life is on the line, and death is the next rational possibility, it makes sense to take a step back and study your own humanistic pitfalls.
While I was captivated by the film's fast-motion language and thinking about Aron's spirited nature, I couldn't help but ponder about Sean Penn's lyrical and cautionary road film, Into the Wild (2007). Both films are about characters who are seemingly bored with a 9-to-5 society, and they yearn for something more out of life; they want to taste the natural landscapes that haven't been tainted by our economic growth and real estate development. Boyle paints a gorgeous portrait of the Utah canyons, which sent me back in time when Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper road their motorcycles along similar territories in Easy Rider (1969)--the golden sunset touching along the edge of the rocky horizon, reflecting an array of red, orange, blue, and purple hues.
127 Hours builds to a moment of absolute pain and gore. However, this is not the kind of gore that you love to observe the special-effects make-up know-hows, like from a George A. Romero zombie picture, but the kind of violent content that allows you to sympathize with the central character. I'm not going to lie, it was hard to look at on the big screen, but after sticking with James Franco's character for a swift, yet tantalizing hour-and-a-half, you knew it had to be done.
127 Hours is one of the best films of the year. A perfect fit for Oscar-winner Danny Boyle's giddy and colorful, imaginative style.
**** (out of four stars)
