Danny Boyle's intense, thought-provoking account on the true story of a man's survival is not just outstanding, but simply spellbinding to its core

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2015)

One thing 2008's Oscar Winner 'Slumdog Millionaire' proved is that Danny Boyle is a man with a directorial gift pounding with a force to reckoned with. And that only makes up a majority of the reason of why the English director makes a marvelous choice to take the fascinating true story of Aron Ralston and energize it to life with electrifying precision. The story of Aron Ralston, a man who in 2003, faced an unfortunate situation during his exploration in a beautiful sunny desert that left him crippled from the world before making a difficult decision that most people would think, perhaps more times, about doing. The man's story of survival is brought to the screen with such powerful energy and a magnetic performance by lead James Franco it isn't too far below what could almost be considered a masterpiece. While that may be saying a lot, it is only an expression how admirable Boyle and Franco prove to make a good team when honoring the survival of a man who fought against near impossible odds. Set in 2003, James Franco plays Ralston, a man living in southern Utah who takes a hiking trip in the Blue John Canyon. Exploring the wonders of the land and running into two women (played by Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn) who he goes for a swim with before departing, his trip starts off as a dream come true. That is until he takes a nasty spill down a canyon followed a boulder that pins his arm against the wall. Trapped with his arm completely incapacitated and unable to move to the boulder even an inch, Ralston must do everything he can to survive.
As the titles claims, the subject character is trapped for an astonishing amount of time, and the cruel assault to injury is that he has no food or water and is forced to resort to drinking his urine. Danny Boyle brings the harrowing account of the poor man's desperate survival to vigorous authenticity, and does so without resorting to exploitative territory. Boyle boasts extraordinary effort to inject liveliness and subtly into the central figure's fight for survival, while appointing James Franco with the daring task of carrying the film on his shoulders. To remarkable effort, Franco proves tremendous in this task, electrifying his role with both energy and soul, particularly in the more emotional-driven bits where he reminises about his family. Collaborating with Boyle once again is Anthony Dod Mantle who boasts absorbing camera work to tightly capture the claustrophobic atmosphere of Aron Ralston's severely cramped environment, and not before soaring the camera around the desert to capture the warming beauty of the Blue John Canyon. And when the film eventually stations its focus on Ralston suffering his unpleasant predicament, every grueling detail of his misery is powerfully apprehended on both visual and emotional scope. This feat also brings out the nightmare feasting on audiences' eyes during the incredibly gruesome finale when Ralston makes an almost unimaginable decision, and if you are familiar with the story, you know how it ends; and the only strongest of stomach would be in the safest capacity to withstand the brutality of this scene. Again, the deeper the film travels into detail, the more riveting it gets as it paints an unforgettable picture of a man who's will to survive outwitted the pain he endures.
127 Hours is an intense, riveting, and an astoundingly thought- provoking testament on its true-story-based subject. It is a fascinating account on its central figure, carrying an amazing amount of gravity and liveliness only Danny Boyle is capable of establishing. While not the most uplifting picture, it is one that many can deeply admire, especially with the appeal of James Franco at hand.