Marred by 'uniqueness' that is almost a little too odd for the type of film that it is

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2011)

You couldn't turn the channel without hearing something about 127 Hours and the story behind it when it first came out. The story was captivating and I thought a film that bordered on a disaster movie, a survival film, a man overcoming the worst of odds and cheating death would be incredible and if anyone could pull a roll off like that it would be James Franco. But I digress for a moment. I finally got in to see the film and I think I felt just a little bit disappointed. The film is not bad by any means. His survival story is fantastic. I think by the time I saw the film the hype was so big around it that I could only be slightly disappointed by it. I actually blame my disappointment squarely on the shoulders of the director. I felt like his overblown ego which we have seen before especially following the run away success that I never understood of another critically hyped film of his Slumdog Millionaire, was in full swing. He had to make his own unique flare to the story and it ended up being like a music video, choppy and obscure and I do understand that the film's pace and style is a reflection of the main characters sanity but I think it went just a little too far.
James Franco is probably one of the hardest working, most versatile guys in the movie business. He's a leading man, he's a supporting actor, he does TV, film and anything he can get his hands on. He clearly loves his craft. He is the perfect fit for the role of Aron Ralston. He has this down to earth, guy next door quality that endears him to you and then to see him in that horrifying situation essentially losing his mind is heart breaking and nerve wracking and that is great for the film. This is very nearly a one man show. I suppose that is part of the reason they added the significant beginning to the film where Ralston meets two women hiking and befriends them. Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara play those women. I can't really say a lot about their performance as it is a very small role and they fulfil the part nicely. Tamblyn is a welcome face also from TV and film. The other reason for the rather extensive opening scene of him befriending the women is that we can get to know Ralston better outside of his horrifying situation so we can see just how nice and down to earth this guy is.
This might sound morbid and maybe I need to watch the film again but the whole build up for this film is to where Ralston ultimately cuts off his own arm with a pocket knife to escape certain death. When they finally got to that scene I felt like it was a bit of a let down compared to the build up. I mean its still intense but the journey is what makes it intense not the outcome. Of course no one has seen Ralston's real video footage except for Ralston, his family, director and co-writer Danny Boyle and James Franco apparently. Maybe I'm wrong about the directing style seeming flippant and jumpy, maybe that is the true story. I do believe Boyle tried very hard to capture Ralston as close to true life as possible. 127 Hours is a gripping drama at times but I think I became a victim over over hyped word of mouth on this one. While I found it interesting at times, I also found it to be a little over-intensified and less entertaining. Check it out for yourself and see another amazing James Franco performance. 7/10