127 Hours (Fox Searchlight)
Funny, It Seemed Longer
By now just about everyone in America knows 127 Hours is the true story of Aron Ralston. He is a young man who likes to live life on the edge. He likes to explore caverns, he likes to scale mountains, he likes adventure and he likes the risks. One of his adventures backfired on him and this is the story behind 127 Hours.
The film starts with Aron (James Franco) heading out to the desert to explore a variety of caves and caverns, specifically one called Blue John Canyon. On the way he meets up with two other hikers, Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamlyn). They share a few moments and then he is on his way.
At Blue John Canyon there is an accident and he is trapped at the bottom of a crevice with his right hand caught under a rock. The rest of the film deals with Aron trying to free himself before his water and food run out.
The film is a tedious one. Having the main character trapped in a canyon for most of the film does not make for an entertaining story. There are some moments when he thinks back on his family and also some hallucinations he suffers. Still it is mostly Aron and the rock and the question of how to free himself.
Franco is the major actor in the film and he is on screen almost ninety-five per cent or more of the time. He seems to have Arons character nailed down but there is very little in the performance that attracts the attention of the audience. It seems to be a grit your teeth and bear it situation and Franco does convey all of that.
When Aron decides to try to amputate his own arm, the movie becomes one that is not for the squeamish. Regardless of what anyone else has said these scenes are harrowing and upsetting. The R rating the film earns for these scenes and for the profanity is certainly justified.
Director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) tries to energize the film with superb photography that highlights the beauty and the desolation of the Utah landscape. He also inserts the flashbacks and hallucinations to try to break the tedious spell of the entrapment, but none of this can raise the movies energy level.
127 Hours tells a story of one mans bravery and heroism but it is a one note story. There is no major transition in the essence of the character and no other lessons learned. Aron Ralston survived a horrendous ordeal but this movie does not make the most of his story.
Franco may have gotten an Academy Award nomination for this role but it is doubtful he will win. For him getting nominated for this one note performance should be more than enough.
I scored 127 Hours a time framed 4 out of 10.
