If you think “127 Hours” is a melancholy movie because it involves self-mutilation to escape death, prepare to be proved wrong. It is NOT a movie about the loss of an arm; it IS a movie about the gaining of perspective and an increased thankfulness for the importance of living.
Director Danny Boyle takes the true story of climber Aron Ralston, forced to cut off his arm when it was trapped under a boulder, and pulls out all the stops to make it an absolutely majestic cinematic tribute to the human spirit. Together with James Franco at the top of his game, “127 Hours” has the power to turn hyperbolic praise into understatement.
The five days Ralston spends with his arm pinned underneath a boulder is reduced to about 90 minutes of claustrophobic discomfort for the audience as we anxiously await the inevitable. But nonetheless, it’s still an enormously affecting watch, and it sure does know how to get your heart racing. There’s never a dull or wasted moment to be found in the movie thanks to Franco’s sublime and enlightened performance. While shooting on location, Boyle consistently had him act in character for 20 minutes straight and then relied on the editor to find 30 seconds to make it into the final cut. This total immersion into Ralston’s desperation makes Franco all the more raw and moving.
Marshall and the Movies 
Recent Comments