Movie Review: ‘127 HOURS’

Life is a series of decisions; both mundane and important. What am I going to eat for breakfast? Should I call to check in with my parents? Where should I go this weekend? What direction do I want my life to go? All of the answers to these questions have consequences. All of these actions have effects. These ideas are immediately addressed in the opening minutes of Danny Boyle’s (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) newest film 127 Hours. As the screen is bombarded with images of society scurrying about, purchasing products, living life, you are introduced to Aron. Through a series of quick decisions, you become painfully aware that all of these choices will culminate in the shocking true-life story that will ultimately make you squirm in your seat.

Aron is your typical fee-spirit outdoors-man. With a pack of supplies, a video camera, and a jovial spirit, Aron sets off for a day in the canyons of Moab, Utah. After a brief but fun encounter with a pair of cute girls, Aron is off again on his own. He expertly scales a series of canyons and rocky cliffs, but a critical misstep causes him to plummet into a passage. Unfortunately for him, this fall forced a large boulder to wedge its way into the passage while trapping his hand against the wall. So begins the most exciting and tense seventy minutes you are going to experience in a theater this year.

Given the fact that you know how this is going to end (it was all over the news when the actual events occurred), you assume that the film would not be that exciting. You will be surprised how involved you become in the character thanks to James Franco’s understated but likable performance. He plays the character as quick and smart on his feet. Through a series of failing attempts to escape involving climbing rope and pulley systems, we become aware what Aron must do. Without overacting, Franco gives an extremely emotional and realistic performance (unlike Cary Elwes in Saw). Credit goes to Danny Boyle for a number of reasons. One of these is for consistently defying expectations by choosing films that are constantly challenging him as a director. Forget the wide emptiness of 28 Days Later and the adrenaline-fueled adventure of Slumdog Millionaire. In 127 Hours Boyle creates a claustrophobic environment that always seems like there is a light at the end of the tunnel (even though the dread is always lingering). The second reason I applaud Boyle is that he made what should have been a boring experience exciting for the entire time Aron is stuck. I hate to say it … but he could have been stuck for another day down there and it would still have been fascinating to watch. Using integral flashbacks and stylized photography (Boyle literally goes inside of Aron’s water-bottle and hand-held camera), Boyle takes a situation that should have lost steam after 30 minutes and reignites it with excitement. For those that are curious … yes, you see blood in the film. Yes, it is graphic. Yes, it is painful to watch. Without exploiting the situation, the film showcases what Aron has to do without ever becoming overly graphic. In fact, because you become so emotionally invested in the character, the violence and gore become more excruciating in your mind than what is ever really shown on-screen. For those hoping though for a 90 minute movie of self-mutilation, you might want to look elsewhere; sorry gore-hounds. My only complaint with this tense ride of a film is the sequence involving the two pretty explorers. Granted, they are a part of the larger story of Aron’s first day in the canyon. Yet their whole inclusion in the film is unnecessary, and unfortunately their dialogue comes off as forced and awkward. Other than their minor 10 minutes of screen-time, 127 Hours never once forced me to examine how long I had been stuck in the theater with Aron.

Including equal parts psychological horror, survival-story, and hope against all odds, 127 Hours exists as one of the most tense and emotional films to come out this year. Danny Boyle presents a story that relates the importance of living life and overcoming each of our own personal obstacles. By the end of the film, you realize that that boulder had to be there in Aron’s life. He had to survive it in order to reach the next step in his life. Though it may seem that he lost a crucial part of himself in the wake of finding the way. You learn that there can be a more meaningful gain buried under the surface of the horror.