127 Hours

127 Hours was released on November 5, 2010. It was directed by Danny Boyle, written by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, based on the book, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place," by Aron Ralston, and stars James Franco.

I went into this film knowing I would like it. Danny Boyle is one of my favorite filmmakers, Trainspotting being my second favorite film of all time. The Aron Ralston story has always shocked me, and enthralled me, at the same time. James Franco, while not one of my favorite actors, is a good and enjoyable actor. So basically, I knew I was gonna like this film. What I didn't know, was that I would love it.

First of all, before the incident happens, the film is entirely Aron Ralston hiking and biking in the canyons of Utah, which, in my opinion, is some of the most beautiful scenery in the entire world. Why take a forest when you can take red rock? So instantly, the film had me hooked. He meets two girls (Kate Mara, and Amber Tamblyn) while hiking, and shows them around the canyons, showing them a great underwater cave. So far, the scenery alone has me loving the film. However, scenery isn't what makes a film good. It's the performances, the writing, the directing, the editing, etc. etc., with scenery included in there somewhere. Now, after the girls leave the film, Aron continues hiking, and descends downwards into a canyon. This is where the film gets really good. As he goes down into the canyon, a rock that he is holding onto slips loose, and he falls, 20 feet or so down the canyon. When he reaches the ground, his arm is struck by the rock, and stuck in place. In a canyon, 60 feet below ground, in the middle of a desert, with no one near him to help, and worst of all: he didn't tell anyone he was going in the canyons for the weekend. Now, without giving too much away (although I'm pretty sure everyone knows the story, and what happens from here), allow me to summarize the rest of the film. While trapped in this canyon, his right arm pinned to the wall, he attempts to free himself, unsuccessfully. As he runs out of water and food, he starts to hallucinate, and have flashbacks about his life. After 6 days, delirious and dying of dehydration, he cuts his right arm off, and proceeds to leave the canyon, rappel down a 100 foot wall, and look for people to help him out of there.

Let's talk about acting. The film is led almost entirely by James Franco, so he is the only actor we need to consider here. He was fantastic. It's not an easy job being the only actor in a film, for the most part,, especially when you have to cut off your own arm. Considering this, James Franco does an amazing job. Like I said earlier, I wasn't a big fan of James Franco, although I must admit, his cameo in the Green Hornet was funny, and one of the highlights of the film. So, I was looking to be impressed here, and I was impressed, significantly. Everything that James Franco did seemed completely realistic, like that was how anyone would react in this situation. He did fantastic, and though I do believe Colin Firth will be taking home the Oscar this year, I wouldn't be surprised if James Franco was taking it home instead. That's actually quite interesting, considering how he's the host.

Let's talk about the directing. Like I said, Danny Boyle is one of my favorite filmmakers, so I may be a bit biased here. Damn good job he did, and it is a goddamn shame he didn't get nominated for Best Director this year. Everything he chose to do was damn near perfection. I absolutely love the amputation scene (woah, that came out wrong.). Whenever Aron touched the bone, you would hear a loud screeching noise, to show the great pain he was in, and it shocked you every time. Genius.

Overall, this film garners a 9/10, a definite a-must. I will say, if you don't think Buried was the film for you, this probably isn't either. However, if you want to watch a damn good film this year, check it out. As a matter of fact, I insist you check this film out.