A visceral experience like no other

Rating: 9/10 (20 November 2010)

You might remember from 2003 the story of a hiker named Aron Ralston. He made the mainstream media cycle telling about his triumphant story of being trapped under a boulder for 5 days (127 hours) and escaping by amputating his own arm. 127 Hours is the telling of this story, and I feel like the only more intense way to experience the events of this film would be by being Aron Ralston himself. It is one of the most visceral and intense experiences I've ever witnessed to this kind of prolonged extent on screen. Before going on this hike, Ralston told nobody where he was going, and so when he got his arm trapped under that boulder, he knew there was hardly any way out. He suffered through increasingly gruesome things to keep himself alive, all leading up to the grisly amputation of his own arm, which is shown in its horrendous entirety in the movie, not holding back at all. However, it is a fair trade since he escaped the inescapable with his life, and continues to hike and mountain climb today. The story of Aron Ralston is miraculous and inspiring, and 127 Hours does it justice ten times over.
Only the first ten to fifteen minutes of the film have Aron safe and untrapped, and the movies title doesn't even appear until after being trapped by the boulder. Needless to say, the majority of the film is just Aron Ralston, and thank God he is played by the incredibly talented James Franco. Franco's performance is one of the best I've seen in a long time because of just how demanding it is. Few actors can carry a film by themselves, but Franco does an amazing job all alone at the bottom of a crevice. The dialouge is limited save for a couple of scenes, but Franco never lets up in his performance and does so much with so little, which is really the biggest triumph of the film in its entirety. That being its ability to do so much with such limited resources. And so much of that credit goes to a brilliant lead actor whose ability soars above and beyond any solo role of this sort in a long time.
James Franco can't get all the credit though. A film that takes place with one man at the bottom of a two foot wide crevice has to retain life, energy, and variety, and with a director like Danny Boyle, it does just that. Boyle is a master of the sharp edits and quick cuts, and he puts this talent to full use for 127 Hours. He has to, or else this film would have deteriorated quickly into something very tiring and boring. But Boyle's fresh visual flair keeps the film extremely lively the whole way through, and one scene after another drew me in closer and closer. I was never bored by this film, and I never felt like I wanted it to hurry up and get to the point. Every scene has a point. It's an engaging character study of Aron Ralston, while also being a piece of art. Boyle employs such unique artistic technique into this film, making it a mixture of beautiful, gruesome, disturbing, and visceral. Boyle is a master at editing. Every shot and every cut of this movie is so well timed and so perfectly illustrated to make a never ending work of art that sends you through a frenzy of heightened emotion.
Boyle also perfects his visual experience with excellent music selection. A. R. Rahman, the composer of Boyle's last film Slumdog Millionaire, returned to compose this film as well. Obviously the music is completely different from Slumdog but it is very fitting and makes the experience that much more intense. What we hear is aligned so perfectly with what we see on screen, giving the film an air of expert craftsmanship, as well as an innovative and original piece of art.
There is so much more to this film beyond the incredible survival story we are treated to, and thats what makes it a visceral experience like no other. Everything is put together so well and not a single shred of artistic excellence is missing. I could not ask for more from a film like this that is something just so emotionally enveloping that I know I won't be able to get my mind off of it for days. It is definitely one of the best of the year so far. The only things that I think could top it that haven't come out yet are Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, set to release December 3rd, or the Coen brothers remake of True Grit, coming December 25th. But until then, and even long afterwords, see 127 Hours, just be prepared.