127 Hours Released 7 January 2010 Director Danny Boyle Starring James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clémence Poésy, Treat Williams, Kate Burton Writer(s) Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle Producer(s) Christian Colson, John Smithson, Danny Boyle Origin United States Running Time 94 minutes Genre Drama Rating 15A

90

A Rocky Horror Show.

Based on a true story, 127 Hours tells the tale of Aron Ralston, an American mountaineer who gets trapped in a canyon in Utah. James Franco plays Ralston and this is the actor’s chance to break into the big league. Franco has been around for a while now since getting his break in the Judd Apatow TV show Freaks and Geeks. He’s done some reasonable supporting work such as his role in the Spiderman films, a goofy drug-dealer in Pineapple Express and as Sean Penn’s gay lover in Milk.

This is his chance to break out in his own right though, a film that almost exclusively features him. There are some supporting players, but their roles are fleeting, it’s pretty much James Franco and a rock. It’s almost a challenge to the director as to how to make this an interesting feature. In other hands it could be very dull indeed, so it’s just as well the director is Danny Boyle. Fresh from his Oscar triumph with Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle is clearly up for the challenge and he uses every trick in the book here.

In a typically high energy Boyle opening sequence Ralston is shown preparing for a trip to the Moab desert in Utah. When you see him forget his trusty Swiss Army knife in his haste to get going, you know it will come back to haunt him. Ralston is clearly an adventure sports junkie and he bikes up the mountains before setting out on foot. He meets two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) and this encounter establishes that Aron is a cocky bastard who is very self-centred and somewhat reckless. After leaving the two girls, Aron sets off alone again and when he reaches a canyon, he has an accident that sees his hand trapped under a boulder.

Once Ralston establishes that he can’t move the rock, Boyle starts the clock at 127 hours. This is how long he’ll be trapped there until he has to make the crucial decision of whether he will die there or live without his arm. It’s not giving too much away to say that eventually he does cut off his arm with a dull knife as all of the publicity for the film mentions this. Indeed the scene where it finally happens has been massively hyped with talk of people fainting at preview screenings. Well it is a gory moment but it’s not that bad, and you shouldn’t let it put you off going to what is one of the best films of the year.

The key to the film is what happens to Ralston in the time from when he’s trapped to when he makes the (literally) torturous decision to free himself. We see how Ralston first uses all his gear to make himself as comfortable as possible and starts rationing his water. Boyle uses all his visual tricks to show how desperate Ralston’s situation is, while always keeping the tension high. Ralston also uses this time to reflect on his life and his selfishness. He has brief flashbacks to how he’s mistreated both his parents (Treat Williams and Kate Burton) and his ex-girlfriend (Clémence Poésy).

Boyle keeps things constantly interesting and in this he’s helped by the terrific performance of Franco. Ralston is not particularly likable but you can’t help but root for him. It’s a terrific performance and one that is likely to see him Oscar-nominated in the New Year.

In truth, the message about how it took this accident for Ralston to recognise his faults is a little bit over-simplistic but all in all, this is quality filmmaking from a director at the top of his game.

This is a highly charged, visceral treat. Highly recommended, except perhaps for the squeamish.

- Jim O’Connor