Danny Boyle's "Cast Away".

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2013)

One question: what happens when director Danny Boyle, who made the classic zombie movie "28 days later" and the gripping drama "Slumdog Millionaire", decides to make a biopic of the climber Aron Ralston based on a book that himself wrote? Perhaps one of the best cinematic experiences that someone will have in a movie.
For those who don't know the story on which the film was based on, here is a small synopsis here: Aron Ralston (James Franco) is a simple professional mountaineer who plans to one day do canyoning in the Grand Canyon National Park (canyoning » Canyon, get it?) in Utah. When he is climbing through a narrow passage in the middle of the mountain, Aron slips on a loose rock and falls in the middle of the hole with the same rock trapping his right arm. Aron tries to push the stone but fails, cries for help and also fails. Now Aron will have to try to survive and escape that hole before his food and water finish, and he ends up having to amputate his own arm with a blunt penknife.
Hell, we can almost say that this film is Danny Boyle's "Cast Away", only that is located in the Grand Canyon and it doesn't has no coconut called Wilson, only James Franco in a hole, with only two or three other secondary characters. Many may think that this can be boring or tedious, but as I said before, Boyle gives us an unforgettable experience.
"But how the hell 94 minutes of James Franco in a hole can be interesting?". Well, I don't know, maybe the good script of Boyle and Simon Beaufoy maintaining a great line of realism in the story with well-written and even reflective monologues with the character of Aron talking to himself recording everything by its own camera. But what Boyle really makes is literally put ourselves in Aron's place. Not only doing he a relatable character, thanks to an outstanding performance from Franco, but showing what any human being would do in that situation, since scream, cry, think and then later, hallucinate.
The parts of hallucination were (and are) a target of criticism from the public, saying that it is where the film fails exaggerating the story, but it is exactly the opposite. When Boyle focuses attention on those moments of hallucination is exactly when he puts us in Aron's place. I mean, how many times we humble humans are with nothing to do, we imagine situations with ourselves and fill our minds with thoughts and memories. Giving himself a chance to show another magnificent direction, both in the flashbacks and memories, but also making us feel the claustrophobia and asphyxiation of the hole with a beautiful cinematography.
In short, "127 Hours" is an experience with mandatory viewing at least once in your lives, and believe me, it will be worth it. From a magnificent direction, good script, and (finally) a performance worthy of an Oscar from James Franco makes "127 Hours" not only one of the best films of Boyle, but also an unforgettable experience.
9/10