127 Hours

Starring: James Franco 
(and a bunch of Jabronis)


Directed by: Danny Boyle


I saw this movie the other day, with no real understanding of the back story, knowledge of the novel the film was based on, or any type of accolades it has earned. I am admittedly a huge Danny Boyle fan without even seeing Slumdog Millionaire yet. Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, all super amazing movies. I'm glad I got around to watching this movie.

The story is about an engineer Aron Ralston who leaves his hectic rat-race of a life for a weekend trip of biking, running, and climbing the beautiful landscape of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. He loves being alone, cleansing himself with pushing his body to the limit under the hot summer sun.

The story really focuses on his devil-may-care attitude while jumping and crawling through the red rocky canyons, his sense of direction almost being like an extension of himself.

Aron (Franco) finds two lost travelers in the park, and guides them through the canyons like him walking a dog through his backyard. During the trek Aron (Franco) takes the girls "the long way" (boosh) and takes them to a narrow crevice in the canyon walls. He deliberately falls between the dark cracks (boosh, again) and falls into a welcoming blue pool of water. After some trepidation the girls follow suit, and they splash around embracing the feeling of conquering the canyon and their apprehension. After the fun, he sends them on their way off into the horizon, and alone again, Aron revels in his good deed.

As the afternoon hours die, and give birth to the late day heat Aron scampers around the canyon with the skill of a experienced ninja. His fingers explore the amber rock, as he seems driven by a force he can't even understand.

As quickly as the viewer gets caught up in the stunning visuals, Aron slips and falls 65 feet into a place called "Robber's Roost" in the middle of nowhere. A massive boulder falls down with him trapping his arm between the canyon wall and the rock. He panics not being able to move and the immeasurable pain he gets thrown into.

Trapped. No Hope. No Ideas. No Food.  His mind begins to deteriorate, and the chunk of the movie begins. The rest of the movie, documents the process of the human mind falling apart, and his spirit falling apart piece by piece.

I loved the psychology of the rest of the movie, the terrifying loneliness, the fear of dying, and the knowledge of your own death. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the movie from here on out, but between Boyle's artistry and the bigger than human story being told, 127 Hours is a movie definitely worth watching.

You will earn 3 1/2 exploding heads out of 5!





and one half.