127 Hours

The man himself Aron Ralston.

Director Danny Boyle isnt one to shy away from presenting viewers with some uncomfortable viewing. Transpotting wasn't exactly easy watching and despite being billed as a 'feel good movie', Slumdog Dog Millionaire presented audiences with some pretty grim viewing. So its not surprise then that his latest film, an adaptation of Aron Ralston's biographical 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place', has had some poor audience members fainting in the aisles. Get by the gore though and the movie ultimately feels like an incredibly positive upbeat movie... skipping out, it seems, would be a far more appropriate means of exiting the cinema. A simple tale of one gruesome act of survival this is not.

It's difficult to imagine that many people, if any, will go to see 127 Hours not knowing exactly what is about to play out before them. The excruciating climax to the film is and has for a long time been well known. Ralston's story quickly trancended into legend back in 2003 as word spread about 'the man who HAD to cut his own arm off'. But far from focusing on this incident itself though, the film is about much more than these few moments. Far removed from the long, overally dramaticised tourture porn audiences are now so used to thanks to the likes of the Saw franchise, 127 Hours becomes a sort of retrospective look back at Ralstons life and an exploration of just how far humans can push themselves in the name of self preservation... inspirational stuff.

James Franco in '127 Hours'.

127 Hours opens on Aron Ralston (James Franco) 'preparring' for his latest trip into the Utah desert. Preparing being a loose term here as Ralston was obviously never one to take much care when setting off on his adventures. A couple of cereal bars, a blunt camping knife tool (that'll be handy) and small bottle of water chucked in a back back just about sum up the pre-departure planning and, key to the films story, Ralston tells, no one, not one single person where he is planning on going. Its enough to make your inner boy scout cringe. The film's opening is all portrayed across a three way split screen, 24 styley. The image of Ralston, the lone wolf come thrill seeker, contrasts with bustling shots of crowds, bright colours and a nifty thumping soundtrack....it's the same track heard in the films trailer, 'Never Hear Surf Music Again by Free Blood'. It all adds to the idea that very shortly he will be more alone than ever. After a quick scout around the desert wastes of Utah and following a bit of frolicking in subterrain pools with a couple of passers by, Ralston goes solo and so comes the moment where it all goes wrong. The fall is, to the films credit, almost anticlimactic, one or two people are due to find themselves saying... 'is that it?'. Theres nothing extraordinary here, its just one fairly stupid guy making one hugely stupid mistake. Theres no long dramatic slow motion fall into the depths of the crevasse, its more a case of slip, oh crap, BAM, pinned to a wall. Its over in a flash and from then on we as an audience are watching the slow decline of a desperate man into almost complete madness.

If you're going to make a film the focuses almost exclusivley on one character I am guessing getting the casting just right is pretty key. James Franco's portrayol of Ralstons decline from cocky laid back dude to an almost completely broken man is cracking even if it is, at times, a little uncomfortable to watch. You don't half feel every moment of his living nightmare! Somehow Franco even looks to have physically aged over the course of the film and to say your going to be watching one man fight through every human emotion over the course of the film would be an understatement. Ralston's video diaries take us through his highs (eccentric quiz show parody) and lows (drinking his own piss) as he evolves into a character you can ultimately root for. Audiences should find themselves willing on every one one of his escape to set himself free... even though you know there's only one away out of this pickle.

Boyle draws audiences into Ralston's inner psyche as his thoughts turn to that of the family and friends he may never see again. Memeories of one dream sequence where Ralston escapes with the help of a flash flood might catch audiences on the hop but ultimately the visions add poignancy to a horrific situation. Throughout Franco's performance is delivered with delicacy and skill as the full reality of the situation dawns on Ralston. Its a testament to Franco that he rarely resorts to screaming and shouting as a way of conveying his desperation.

127 Hours - not always easy viewing

A lot has been written about the climax of Ralston's gory struggle but there is no two ways about it, its incredibly uncomfortable viewing. It looks gruesome, it sounds gruesome, it is gruesome. Tendons and arteries snap, skin breaks and bones are broken all in excruciatingly loud digital surround sound. Here your usually get out of jail free cards, 'this would never happen' or 'this is so unrealistic', do not exist. As if its been branded into your consciousness, you'll not for a second forgot that this actually took place! Dodge that stretcher and push through the remainder of the film though and what you're left with ultimately is a feel good story. You can't help but feel upbeat when images of the real life Ralston, wife and child in tow, flash up on screen. Its a pleasant relief to end what can be at times an intense viewing experience.

It'd be easy to remember 127 hours as the film about a guy who chopped his arm off but there is much more beneath the surface. Danny Boyle's latest plays as a true testimony to depths of human endurance and while some moments require a strong stomach its definitely not one to be missed.