Heartwarming True Story

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2011)

I didn't really know anything about 127 Hours going into it, and I didn't know what to expect, aside from a brutal look into starvation, dehydration, and amputation. What I got was an amazing film laced with perseverance, bravery, courage, and sacrifice. This is easily one of my favorite films not only of the year, but of all time.
James Franco is the highlight of the movie and delivers a really powerful performance. Franco is able to make a rather arrogant character really likable. Aron Ralston is the cocky, invincible, and adventurous mountain climber type. This attitude makes the character very easy to connect with, and that's one of the most important elements of a movie. You don't need to be a mountain climber or someone who enjoys canyoneering to connect with Ralston. Honestly, I think Ralston successfully embodies the average behavior of a twenty something year old person. Even that if you ever been over confident in your abilities at anything, which I'm sure everyone has in one case or another, then he's very easy to connect with. The entire incident and Ralston's struggle to survive can be a metaphor to any seemingly impossible challenge that anyone faces. Ralston's ability to realize sacrifice is the only way to survive brings a lot of depth to his character and fleshes him out as the protagonist of the film. His arc in the movie is also an amazing treat to behold. As previously stated, he does start out as a very arrogant, "I can do anything" kind of person, but his change is executed so well, that he's one of my favorite characters in any movie this year. You can see as the movie progresses that each day really brings a different mood of his character. He starts out extremely angry that things don't seem to go his way, he calms down, realizing that his reason would be key to helping him survive, he starts to work against the problem intelligently, he loses all hope in survival, and then gears up for one last effort at freedom. While this arc is somewhat predictable, the character is so fascinating that it doesn't really matter. Given that the movie only really has five or six characters that actually talk, there's no real need to talk about the supporting cast. This movie is centered around Aron Ralston and his struggle, physical and internal. The movie is an hour and a half of Franco's face, so it's good that the character is amazing.
An arrogant climber's arm gets pinned against a canyon wall by a large rock and he must fight for survival with no one to help him. There's the story. The movie's strength in it's plot is the execution of the different ways that Ralston uses to survive and the hallucinations he experiences while starving and being dehydrated. The movie goes from Ralston successfully creating a pulley so that he can stay upright and not fall over while sleeping to him drinking his own urine when he ran out of water. When you mix together a likable character that you feel sympathy toward with successful and last resort ways to survive, you get emotion from the audience accordingly, which is once again extremely important. The viewer wants Ralston to succeed and roots for him against opposition. His hallucinations and memories only add more depth to the character and are very similar to how anyone, well at least me, would likely respond to this type of situation; you wouldn't be caught up thinking about your job or how much work you would need to catch up on, you would be concerned with the people you love and are close to. This adds more reality to the movie and makes for an enjoyable film. When all seemed lost and he was on the brink of death, one final effort is made to escape his impending doom, and he succeeds. If you don't already know the story, he must cut his own arm off. This is the most brutal part of the movie, and it's not easy to watch. But why is that? Often times when watching a violent movie and something graphic happens, it's not anything that people faint over, even if it's more graphic then the amputation in 127 Hours. Why do people faint then when watching this scene? The answer is simple and it shows the expert acting and writing of the character. Generally in those other movies, graphic things happen to minor characters, not usually the protagonist. Since Ralston is such a likable and well made character and we've been with him the whole film through the many trials he had to endure, we hate seeing him in excruciating pain. Generally when you see a friend in pain, it saddens you and you get emotionally involved in their conflict. That's the situation in 127 Hours, plain and simple. I also recommend that you watch the amputation scene for two reason: it helps you feel his pain and it makes the ending that much more satisfying to watch. The scene is brutal, but not unbearable and it's worth watching. The ending of the movie is the best payoff you could expect, just like his situation. If you can bear through the amputation, then the ending can bring you to tears. There are many great scenes in the movie, one in particular, and it's a treat to see them for yourself in this powerful movie.
At the end of the film, you will feel so good about yourself. This is the kind of film you watch whenever you feel like you can't overcome a task because you know that you probably won't have to go through anymore suffering than Ralston. I could praise more things about the movie, like the amazing cinematography, background score, direction, and editing, but the central part of the movie is Ralston, and that's plenty enough reason to watch this gem of a movie.