Don't go hiking alone!

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2012)

I had first learned of Aron Ralston when he appeared on a talk show and told of his harrowing experience. Now that I've seen "127 Hours", I can tell you that it's also a harrowing experience. Not just an excuse for shock value, the movie is basically about the will to survive in the most dire situations. The movie is also about how Ralston changes. Starting out as a footloose, extreme mountain climber, his humanity becomes apparent as he realizes that there's only one way out of his predicament.
James Franco plays Ralston to a tee, showing the man start to go delirious as he eventually decides on drastic measures. Much of the credit also goes to cinematographers Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak, who create just about every angle in the confined space where Ralston finds himself trapped by the boulder, emphasizing his feeling of desperation.
All in all, if ever there was a movie about the triumph of the human spirit, this has to be it. Those five days in that slot canyon in the middle nowhere truly put the carefree Ralston's fragility to the test. I wholly recommend the movie.