Aron Ralston has one arm, and he should be dead.
James Franco stars as Ralston in “127 Hours,” a film directed by Danny Boyle. The film tells Ralston’s amazing, real-life story of extreme survival.
You may have heard about Aron a few years ago when his story astonished the world. After being trapped in a canyon with his arm wedged between a boulder and a canyon wall, Ralston survived by cutting off his own arm with a utility knife.
There are no spoilers here. While Ralston’s incredible actions are certainly nothing short of astounding and heroic, the film focuses on the psychological path that led him to that point.
If you’re asking yourself whether this movie is just a long, drawn-out scene in which nothing really happens until the end, you’re right, to an extent. It’s pretty much just Franco. But to say it’s “just” Franco is an incredible understatement. Franco gave the performance of a lifetime and Boyle proves, once again, why he’s one of the best directors in the business.
It’s not easy to shoot one actor in one setting and make it interesting. However, if anyone can find success doing this, it’s Boyle. No stranger to success, the Academy Award-winning director has a knack for directing amazing stories that resonate strongly with his audience. His latest success was “Slumdog Millionaire,” which took the 2009 Academy Awards by storm. But his resume includes many films that have received both public and critical praise. These include “The Beach,” “28 Days Later,” “Sunshine,” “Trainspotting” and “A Life Less Ordinary.” “127 Hours” already has Oscar buzz.
Rightly so, a lot of the Oscar buzz surrounds Franco’s intense portrayal of Ralston. At first, Ralston is simply a carefree, adventurous, young adult whose hunger for life and excitement made him a bit selfish. However, his death-defying experience changed him and that’s what Boyle depicts throughout the film. He often cuts between Ralston’s current, unfortunate state, his memories and even visions of the future. Franco captures every emotion, every expression and feeling as his character deals with his dilemma and attempts to cope with it.
“127 Hours” is a powerful film. Ralston’s amazing story, alone, is enough to make your jaw drop in utter amazement. What Danny Boyle has done is take you to, not only the physical location where it happened, but on a trip through the human mind and the spirit of man capable of incredible things when survival is on the line.
