127 Hours

10

Compi24Nov 28, 2012

An almost faultlessly directed, wonderfully well-acted inspirational drama, featuring a lovely soundtrack.

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8

worleyjamersDec 8, 2012

An absolutely fantastic film! A powerful, touching, and inspirational film that is truly one of a kind. Fantastically shot and brilliantly directed by Danny Boyle, this film captures what I thought could never be an intriguing story. I was soAn absolutely fantastic film! A powerful, touching, and inspirational film that is truly one of a kind. Fantastically shot and brilliantly directed by Danny Boyle, this film captures what I thought could never be an intriguing story. I was so wrong! This film delivers in so many ways that I never imagined. It is undoubtedly worthy of all the praise it received. This film would have had zero effectiveness had it not been for the Oscar nominated performance by James Franco. He brilliantly portrays the trapped Aron Ralston as he cycles through countless emotions. His talent and his maturity as an actor shines here; this performance solidifies him as one the best young actors today. The film also has great cinemtography and a brilliant musical score by A.R. Rahman.

As for the arm scene. You've probably heard of it. It's gory and disturbing both visually and sound wise. However, it's a brilliant part of the story that is essential to it's message, the scene is not bad when you think of it in light of what else is happening.

127 Hours...a brilliant, brilliant film. One of the best of 2010, and truly one of a kind. I absolutely recommend it!… Expand

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10

HaithamBayazeedMar 1, 2013

One of my favorite movies of all time, amazing and thrilling adventure of life and death, with friendship and possibilities, this is the story of a brave man in attempt to discover the world of mysteries.

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9

jab1995Feb 13, 2013

A special movie! Magnificent making of and really touching movie. Aaron survived in this dramatic situation with his dreams memories and imagination. I think that James Franco deserved here an oscar because he suited completely in this role.

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7

ExKingMay 30, 2013

"watching this movie is kinda like someone approaches you from behind and begin to chock you little by little and then he releases his hands and suddenly you take a giant breath that's give you goose bumps all over your body" original."watching this movie is kinda like someone approaches you from behind and begin to chock you little by little and then he releases his hands and suddenly you take a giant breath that's give you goose bumps all over your body" original.
this movie is just impressive and Danny Boyle blow my mind with these amazing shots and amazing visual effects some scenes were difficult to watch but Danny Boyle tried to show the picture as it is and he succeeded.… Expand

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8

jlol13Apr 23, 2013

I thought James Franco's performance was pretty incredible. I can't imagine getting into the mindset of a man literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. As for Boyle's direction, I thought he did a good job keeping most of the scenesI thought James Franco's performance was pretty incredible. I can't imagine getting into the mindset of a man literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. As for Boyle's direction, I thought he did a good job keeping most of the scenes dynamic. That being said, some of it was a little slow, but come on, its seems like it would be tough to come up with 2 hours of nail biting content when your main character can't even move.… Expand

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8

AndreiCJun 13, 2013

A good piece of work, shows us what are the real limits of a human in tough circumstances at every level of his mental changes through the chaotic situation. James Franco delivers a good, realistic performance.

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9

AndremaxSep 6, 2018

Impossible not feel the same tension that the main character. All the shocking, tense and suffocating for this movie has been very well placed.

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9

MichMartMar 5, 2014

This movie shows us how far a person would go to keep alive (it's a story of hope) and the cinematography fits to the situation. 127 Hours is a bit long for the story, but the the rest is phenomenal.

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9

Potarto72Dec 22, 2014

127 Hours is brilliant on every level. It completely immerses the viewer more effectively than I've ever seen a movie do, and offers an uplifting story that's disturbing in the best way.

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7

KayakMar 3, 2014

Boyle and Franco give you a real in-depth experience into this ordeal. You feel the anguish and you feel the triumph. For what it is, it's pretty great but a few niggling qualms stop this from being exceptional.

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7

Meth-dudeApr 19, 2014

James Franco did an awesome job as Aron Ralston.The director Danny Boyle also did an awesome job.For a movie of 94 minutes with only one character stuck in the desert we don't get bored. Awesome movie.

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8

ydnar4Jul 27, 2015

127 Hours is without a doubt the best performance by James Franco and he has failed to come close to matching it sine. The film feels very real and there are even points where you can feel the claustrophobia starting to come on. There are127 Hours is without a doubt the best performance by James Franco and he has failed to come close to matching it sine. The film feels very real and there are even points where you can feel the claustrophobia starting to come on. There are some points in the film that are a little gross but it all adds to the realism and it doesn't get to the point where the film is unwatchable. The film is also a great directorial effort from Danny Boyle who has become one of the best directors of this generation. I still found that James Franco's character is lacking a bit of a back story and that drags it down a bit.… Expand

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6

zperry-20Aug 16, 2014

Although the film is incredibly predictable and some what of a bore at times , Franco provides a excellent performance and the directing is superb. The movie provides emotion but this emotion could not carry through for the whole film.

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8

DenisManuSep 5, 2014

127 Hours is a dramatic yet uplifting movie about the will to live in an almost impossible to survive scenario.James Franco redeems himself for the original Spider-Man movies, by truly showing his capability to act.Danny Boyle gives you127 Hours is a dramatic yet uplifting movie about the will to live in an almost impossible to survive scenario.James Franco redeems himself for the original Spider-Man movies, by truly showing his capability to act.Danny Boyle gives you another based on a true movie that's absolutely brilliant and exciting.… Expand

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10

Another_NerdFeb 26, 2015

Late review, but I couldn't resist. This film was clearly a challenge, and not an easy one to depict.

But, it upped Slumdog Millionaire. Boyle's direction, Dodmantle's shots, Rahman and Dido, and, of course, James Franco. The film was aLate review, but I couldn't resist. This film was clearly a challenge, and not an easy one to depict.

But, it upped Slumdog Millionaire. Boyle's direction, Dodmantle's shots, Rahman and Dido, and, of course, James Franco. The film was a complete package, and it is one of the best films I have seen. A must watch.… Expand

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9

WJSJan 9, 2016

Stunning cinematography, brilliant direction, clever editing and an absolutely bravo performance from James Franco, help to make this intense, claustrophobic tale of survival nearly perfect. It makes you realize that you should probablyStunning cinematography, brilliant direction, clever editing and an absolutely bravo performance from James Franco, help to make this intense, claustrophobic tale of survival nearly perfect. It makes you realize that you should probably always take a buddy when you go on a hike.… Expand

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10

Mollislayer34Feb 18, 2015

I absolutely love this movie! I think I have watched it for ten times now and I never get bored to it. Danny Boyle didn't let me down in this one either. They have really invested in making the circumstances and the equipment look the same asI absolutely love this movie! I think I have watched it for ten times now and I never get bored to it. Danny Boyle didn't let me down in this one either. They have really invested in making the circumstances and the equipment look the same as in the real event of Aron Ralston (I have watched YouTube-videos) and I love the way James Franco as Aron Ralston uses his engineering skills in the movie. The movie gives me chills every time and the sound effects and the music really describes the feelings of the main character very well. That brings me to the next point. The soundtrack. One of the best EVER I think. When watching this movie, I really forget all my own worries or they start to feel very small. It kind of feels like you are there, all alone with Aron Ralston, cheering him to keep going. Overall, I really think everyone should see this movie.… Expand

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3

CameraBounceGodFeb 21, 2015

127 the number is a pleasant one and not only that it is the first Mersene prime number i believe....seems to haunt us wherever we go...or don't go........i imagine this one is just like the one where Ryan Renolds is buried alive for the127 the number is a pleasant one and not only that it is the first Mersene prime number i believe....seems to haunt us wherever we go...or don't go........i imagine this one is just like the one where Ryan Renolds is buried alive for the movie.....i think id rather go watch that one first so far....20 minutes in and i cant imagine what the could possibly happen for the rest of the film....Ewwch...hot dam he got the knife! takin a piss..thirsty too soon...look for his tear is nice...but it seems like hes gonna jak off down there and pause of their asses....wow and then he does...wait he doesn't .........I like that he doesn't...but im no longer routing for him… Expand

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10

MattBrady99Mar 13, 2015

Aron Ralston: "I'm in pretty deep doodoo here."

The story is about a mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder in a remote area near Moab, Utah, he must resort to extreme measures in order to survive. Danny Boyle once againAron Ralston: "I'm in pretty deep doodoo here."

The story is about a mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder in a remote area near Moab, Utah, he must resort to extreme measures in order to survive.

Danny Boyle once again proves that he is a fantastic director in this movie. The way he shots and show the trouble that are main character goes through, it's truly great. The cinematography in this movie took the wind out of me it's that brilliant. This is James Franco best role I've seen him. He made me care about his character and he almost made my cry a little a bit.

My only nick picks with the film are the goofy scenes with the Scooby-Doo scene. I'm sorry but that scene came out of no where and lost the serious of the movie for me, and I no his seeing things because his losing a lot of blood and he's in a tight space, but still you can't help to ask "What the hell was all that about?".

127 hours is a excellent film with mind blowing camera work and one of the best directing I've seen since Spielberg.… Expand

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8

Berry-TanJan 12, 2016

127 Hours asks a big question of its audience: could you do what Aron Ralston does when it came down to it?
It's chilling, claustrophobic, even nerve-racking, but it's also one of the most fascinating films of the year. You'll feel like127 Hours asks a big question of its audience: could you do what Aron Ralston does when it came down to it?
It's chilling, claustrophobic, even nerve-racking, but it's also one of the most fascinating films of the year. You'll feel like you're clenching everything in your body as this movie builds towards its inevitable climax, but this is a masterful work...… Expand

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9

TheFilmDoctorMar 22, 2016

Danny Boyle has taken us to the surface of the sun (“Sunshine”) and the end of the world as we know it (“28 Days Later”), testing the limits of human endurance with each radically different project. “127 Hours” takes the adrenaline rush oneDanny Boyle has taken us to the surface of the sun (“Sunshine”) and the end of the world as we know it (“28 Days Later”), testing the limits of human endurance with each radically different project. “127 Hours” takes the adrenaline rush one step further, pitting man against nature in the most elemental of struggles as Boyle compresses the true story of rock-climbing junkie Aron Ralston, who spent five days wrestling with a boulder after a rockslide pinned his arm against a canyon wall, into an intense 93 minutes. Marketed correctly, pic should spell another hit for the high-energy helmer.

On paper, “127 Hours” would seem to buck convention on multiple fronts: The film revolves around a single actor (James Franco) stuck in one location (“Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” to borrow the title of Ralston’s memoir) for most of its running time, and though it packs an uplifting ending, that emotional victory comes at the expense of the hero’s right arm — depicted in a gruesome climax that caused a number of people to faint at the film’s premiere in Telluride (located just three hours from Bluejohn Canyon, Utah, where the events took place).

Blatantly noncommercial elements aside, Boyle and co-writer Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”) have managed to craft quite an accessible film after all, opening up the action with a sexy prologue featuring two lost hikers (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn, whose carefree early scenes would feel right at home in Boyle’s “The Beach”) and using several hallucinatory visions drawn directly from Ralston’s book, all the better to re-create his frame of mind at the time — a task that relies on two cinematographers, Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak, to achieve the film’s gorgeous supersaturated look.

While Franco can sometimes be a wild card, getting increasingly self-conscious with recent roles (most notably his guest-starring stunt on “General Hospital”), his take on Ralston feels both credible and compelling; few actors could have made us care so much, or disappeared so completely into the role. With very little time to establish the young man’s backstory, Franco uses his Method acting technique to slip into Ralston’s skin, making it that much easier for us to vicariously do the same. We “get” him instantly, thanks in part to an energetic opening montage, spread across three rapidly changing screens and cut to Free Blood’s “Never Hear Surf Music Again,” that places the young engineering student’s interest in the outdoors within the broader American phenomenon of extreme sports. Ralston may be rather reckless, flipping his bike and so forth on his way to the canyon, but he knows what he’s doing, and the accident wasn’t necessarily his fault: While he was testing his weight on a loose chockstone, the rock gave way and crushed him beneath it.

Over the course of the next hour, Ralston will cycle through all five stages of grief (with “acceptance” ultimately being the decision to remove his arm), while making room for some serious soul-searching. Ralston replays memories of his family, an intimate night shared with g.f. Megan (Clemence Poesy) and his eventual breakup — all serving to interrupt the monotony of dehydration and helplessness. As the days pass, his visions become more vivid and abstract — one day he hosts an unsettling gameshow-like monologue with himself, complete with laugh track, the next he dreams of a harrowing flash flood — before culminating in a fateful premonition.

Just as director Rodrigo Cortes did in the recent stuck-in-a-coffin thriller “Buried,” Boyle constantly repositions the camera to help dispel the potential claustrophobia of it all, sometimes pulling weird trick shots (such as the straw’s-eye view of Ralston’s dwindling water supply). Since the real Ralston brought a camcorder along on the hike, the film treats some of the footage as if the character were documenting the situation himself, letting the writers get away with a fair amount of explanatory dialogue, along with the occasional tension-breaking one-liner.

As nerve-racking as the whole predicament is, it’s surprising how much humor manages to sneak in, with A.R. Rahman’s Western-sounding synthpop score building from tension to ultimate triumph (with a boost from the original Dido collaboration “If I Rise”). Many will come out of sheer curiosity about Ralston’s self-administered amputation (whether or not they manage to keep their eyes open during the scene itself), but the scenes that follow are even more effective, right up to the closing images of the real Ralston, still chasing the adrenaline dream.… Expand

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8

DoctorFilmMar 30, 2016

Danny Boyle has taken us to the surface of the sun (“Sunshine”) and the end of the world as we know it (“28 Days Later”), testing the limits of human endurance with each radically different project. “127 Hours” takes the adrenaline rush oneDanny Boyle has taken us to the surface of the sun (“Sunshine”) and the end of the world as we know it (“28 Days Later”), testing the limits of human endurance with each radically different project. “127 Hours” takes the adrenaline rush one step further, pitting man against nature in the most elemental of struggles as Boyle compresses the true story of rock-climbing junkie Aron Ralston, who spent five days wrestling with a boulder after a rockslide pinned his arm against a canyon wall, into an intense 93 minutes.

single actor (James Franco) stuck in one location (“Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” to borrow the title of Ralston’s memoir) for most of its running time, and though it packs an uplifting ending, that emotional victory comes at the expense of the hero’s right arm — depicted in a gruesome climax that caused a number of people to faint at the film’s premiere in Telluride (located just three hours from Bluejohn Canyon, Utah, where the events took place).

Blatantly noncommercial elements aside, Boyle and co-writer Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”) have managed to craft quite an accessible film after all, opening up the action with a sexy prologue featuring two lost hikers (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn, whose carefree early scenes would feel right at home in Boyle’s “The Beach”) and using several hallucinatory visions drawn directly from Ralston’s book, all the better to re-create his frame of mind at the time — a task that relies on two cinematographers, Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak, to achieve the film’s gorgeous supersaturated look.

While Franco can sometimes be a wild card, getting increasingly self-conscious with recent roles (most notably his guest-starring stunt on “General Hospital”), his take on Ralston feels both credible and compelling; few actors could have made us care so much, or disappeared so completely into the role. With very little time to establish the young man’s backstory, Franco uses his Method acting technique to slip into Ralston’s skin, making it that much easier for us to vicariously do the same. We “get” him instantly, thanks in part to an energetic opening montage, spread across three rapidly changing screens and cut to Free Blood’s “Never Hear Surf Music Again,” that places the young engineering student’s interest in the outdoors within the broader American phenomenon of extreme sports. Ralston may be rather reckless, flipping his bike and so forth on his way to the canyon, but he knows what he’s doing, and the accident wasn’t necessarily his fault: While he was testing his weight on a loose chockstone, the rock gave way and crushed him beneath it.

Over the course of the next hour, Ralston will cycle through all five stages of grief (with “acceptance” ultimately being the decision to remove his arm), while making room for some serious soul-searching. Ralston replays memories of his family, an intimate night shared with g.f. Megan (Clemence Poesy) and his eventual breakup — all serving to interrupt the monotony of dehydration and helplessness. As the days pass, his visions become more vivid and abstract — one day he hosts an unsettling gameshow-like monologue with himself, complete with laugh track, the next he dreams of a harrowing flash flood — before culminating in a fateful premonition.

Just as director Rodrigo Cortes did in the recent stuck-in-a-coffin thriller “Buried,” Boyle constantly repositions the camera to help dispel the potential claustrophobia of it all, sometimes pulling weird trick shots (such as the straw’s-eye view of Ralston’s dwindling water supply). Since the real Ralston brought a camcorder along on the hike, the film treats some of the footage as if the character were documenting the situation himself, letting the writers get away with a fair amount of explanatory dialogue, along with the occasional tension-breaking one-liner.

As nerve-racking as the whole predicament is, it’s surprising how much humor manages to sneak in, with A.R. Rahman’s Western-sounding synthpop score building from tension to ultimate triumph (with a boost from the original Dido collaboration “If I Rise”). Many will come out of sheer curiosity about Ralston’s self-administered amputation (whether or not they manage to keep their eyes open during the scene itself), but the scenes that follow are even more effective, right up to the closing images of the real Ralston, still chasing the adrenaline dream.… Expand

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8

MovieMasterEddyApr 3, 2016

Danny Boyle has taken us to the surface of the sun (“Sunshine”) and the end of the world as we know it (“28 Days Later”), testing the limits of human endurance with each radically different project. “127 Hours” takes the adrenaline rush oneDanny Boyle has taken us to the surface of the sun (“Sunshine”) and the end of the world as we know it (“28 Days Later”), testing the limits of human endurance with each radically different project. “127 Hours” takes the adrenaline rush one step further, pitting man against nature in the most elemental of struggles as Boyle compresses the true story of rock-climbing junkie Aron Ralston, who spent five days wrestling with a boulder after a rockslide pinned his arm against a canyon wall, into an intense 93 minutes.

On paper, “127 Hours” would seem to buck convention on multiple fronts: The film revolves around a single actor (James Franco) stuck in one location (“Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” to borrow the title of Ralston’s memoir) for most of its running time, and though it packs an uplifting ending, that emotional victory comes at the expense of the hero’s right arm — depicted in a gruesome climax that caused a number of people to faint at the film’s premiere in Telluride (located just three hours from Bluejohn Canyon, Utah, where the events took place).

Blatantly noncommercial elements aside, Boyle and co-writer Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”) have managed to craft quite an accessible film after all, opening up the action with a sexy prologue featuring two lost hikers (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn, whose carefree early scenes would feel right at home in Boyle’s “The Beach”) and using several hallucinatory visions drawn directly from Ralston’s book, all the better to re-create his frame of mind at the time — a task that relies on two cinematographers, Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak, to achieve the film’s gorgeous supersaturated look.

While Franco can sometimes be a wild card, getting increasingly self-conscious with recent roles (most notably his guest-starring stunt on “General Hospital”), his take on Ralston feels both credible and compelling; few actors could have made us care so much, or disappeared so completely into the role. With very little time to establish the young man’s backstory, Franco uses his Method acting technique to slip into Ralston’s skin, making it that much easier for us to vicariously do the same. We “get” him instantly, thanks in part to an energetic opening montage, spread across three rapidly changing screens and cut to Free Blood’s “Never Hear Surf Music Again,” that places the young engineering student’s interest in the outdoors within the broader American phenomenon of extreme sports. Ralston may be rather reckless, flipping his bike and so forth on his way to the canyon, but he knows what he’s doing, and the accident wasn’t necessarily his fault: While he was testing his weight on a loose chockstone, the rock gave way and crushed him beneath it.

Over the course of the next hour, Ralston will cycle through all five stages of grief (with “acceptance” ultimately being the decision to remove his arm), while making room for some serious soul-searching. Ralston replays memories of his family, an intimate night shared with g.f. Megan (Clemence Poesy) and his eventual breakup — all serving to interrupt the monotony of dehydration and helplessness. As the days pass, his visions become more vivid and abstract — one day he hosts an unsettling gameshow-like monologue with himself, complete with laugh track, the next he dreams of a harrowing flash flood — before culminating in a fateful premonition.

Just as director Rodrigo Cortes did in the recent stuck-in-a-coffin thriller “Buried,” Boyle constantly repositions the camera to help dispel the potential claustrophobia of it all, sometimes pulling weird trick shots (such as the straw’s-eye view of Ralston’s dwindling water supply). Since the real Ralston brought a camcorder along on the hike, the film treats some of the footage as if the character were documenting the situation himself, letting the writers get away with a fair amount of explanatory dialogue, along with the occasional tension-breaking one-liner.

As nerve-racking as the whole predicament is, it’s surprising how much humor manages to sneak in, with A.R. Rahman’s Western-sounding synthpop score building from tension to ultimate triumph (with a boost from the original Dido collaboration “If I Rise”). Many will come out of sheer curiosity about Ralston’s self-administered amputation (whether or not they manage to keep their eyes open during the scene itself), but the scenes that follow are even more effective, right up to the closing images of the real Ralston, still chasing the adrenaline dream.… Expand

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9

Muskrat147Jul 15, 2016

Well paced, tensely directed, and wonderfully acted, 127 Hours makes the most out of its confined setting, and uses James Franco's one-of-a-kind performance to deliver a unique survival story.

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8

TheArchetypesSep 9, 2016

Surely one of the best films of the year, Boyle's effort I believe is a triumphant and revolutionary new take in film of a person that is in complete solitude, an upbeat soundtrack and by blending fear, tension, and humour all into one. ISurely one of the best films of the year, Boyle's effort I believe is a triumphant and revolutionary new take in film of a person that is in complete solitude, an upbeat soundtrack and by blending fear, tension, and humour all into one. I think that probably what is the most moving though is that this film is able to take hold of you and when you're let go in the end; the only thing you can think of is that you are just glad to be alive.… Expand

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7

eriflynnNov 20, 2017

Maybe is not one of the most exasperating movies, but the feeling is there. James Franco represent very well the desesperation of the character. A history of how a person trying to survive at any cost is well represented with the direction.Maybe is not one of the most exasperating movies, but the feeling is there. James Franco represent very well the desesperation of the character. A history of how a person trying to survive at any cost is well represented with the direction. The orange tones of the photography make me feel the loneliness of the principal character Aaron Ralston.… Expand

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8

DomgwyDec 20, 2017

(Insert missing arm joke here)

So what do you do when you’ve just won eight oscars with a film that could just as easily have gone straight to DVD? Cash in and direct the latest Spielberg/Michael Bay produced blockbuster? Make a nice, easy(Insert missing arm joke here)

So what do you do when you’ve just won eight oscars with a film that could just as easily have gone straight to DVD? Cash in and direct the latest Spielberg/Michael Bay produced blockbuster? Make a nice, easy rom-com? Take some time off? Well if your Danny Boyle the answer is ‘none of the above, I’m going to make a film about a man trapped in a hole on his own for six days’.

Truth be told, it’s a hard sell and it could be argued that were it not for Boyle the film would not receive the attention and wide theatrical release it has done, despite it’s subject matter.

127 Hours tells the true story of Aron Ralston, an amateur rock climber who, in 2003, became famous when he was forced to cut off his forearm having been trapped by a boulder for almost six days.

The media attention surrounding the story at the time, along with Ralston’s own recounting of his ordeal in his book Between a Rock and A Hard Place, presents Boyle with yet another obstacle — how do you engage an audience who (for the most part) will already know the story?

Well from the first frame it’s clear Boyle is taking us for another roller-coaster ride. The opening of the film grabs the audience just as Iggy Pop and Ewan McGregor did in Boyle’s seminal Trainspotting. This time however the director employs split screens to bombard the viewer with images, images of us, the 21st century western audience in our masses, going to and from work, to sports events to play the stock markets. Into this confusion and chaos we are introduced to Aron (James Franco) a happy go lucky young engineer making ready for a weekend trip into the wilderness, ignoring the phone as it rings in the background and getting his gear together.

In this opening sequence Boyle has successfully brought us in to his film in a strikingly visual and aural attack on the senses which can almost be seen as a directional trade mark (28 Days Later, Sunshine).

From here on in the focus is squarely on Franco who delivers a truly remarkable performance. The most striking aspect of the performance however is just how subtle and measured it is even in the most emotionally challenging scenes. It’s Aron’s matter-of-fact delivery and quiet despair that come across and ultimately involves the audience, not as I had expected going in, an intense Bale-esque inner turmoil punctuated by dramatic outbursts.

Aaron’s claustrophobia is shared by the audience after the accident. Boyle depicts a sense of freedom in Aron’s early scenes in the wilderness both physically and socially as he meets two young women. It is this freedom and social interaction that we crave along with Aron throughout the bulk of the film as we are trapped with him. Despite various flashbacks and fantasies, everything onscreen after the first thirty minutes can be seen to take place either in the cave or within Aron’s mind.

The psychological journey undertaken by Aron is what the film is really ‘about’. Through the deepest despair we see Aron gain acceptance that his choice of individualist lifestyle is what ultimately led him to his predicament, if he had just told someone where he was going or invited a friend he could have saved himself. Here in lies the fundamental question of the piece that goes beyond the much debated ‘could you cut your own arm off?’ : should we choose to give up our own individual freedom and join the rat-race depicted earlier, or do we choose to keep our freedom and accept the risks of living outside the mainstream?

Which brings us to the infamous liberation scene, during which Aron cuts off his own arm. Boyle doesn’t pull any punches and it’s safe to say the scene plays out with graphic detail. To me however, it is the sound design of the scene and one particular effect which made me most uncomfortable. Is it necessary to provide this much detail? I believe it is, Aron has been presented as a man who is specific, who sets targets and thinks with a rational, mathematical mind and throughout the film Boyle reflects this is his visual style, concentrating on minute details, to cut away now and not show the audience the event in detail, would be a betrayal.

Danny Boyle has delivered a bold piece of film making which along with a superb score by Slumdog maestro A R Rahman and a riveting performance by James Franco makes 127 Hours a truly cinematic experience. Not bad for a film about a man trapped down a hole, all we need now is for Danny to adapt the story of the Chilean miners onto the big screen.… Expand

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7

FilipeNetoFeb 16, 2018

A great survival story

This film, with direction and script by Danny Boyle, tells the story of Aron Ralston, an adventurer who gets trapped in a canyon after a heavy rock crushing his hand. Based on real facts, written by true Ralston in hisA great survival story

This film, with direction and script by Danny Boyle, tells the story of Aron Ralston, an adventurer who gets trapped in a canyon after a heavy rock crushing his hand. Based on real facts, written by true Ralston in his book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", this film deals with the theme of survival and loneliness, trying to show how far can a man go when he's alone and needs to survive. Featuring James Franco as protagonist.

Its an intense film, where the audience is clinging to several attempts that the character does to get rid of the situation, potentially fatal, which inadvertently ended. However, the absence of a larger plot (only broken by mental flashbacks that show us the character's thoughts) ends up making this movie too stopped, and it would be a bit boring if not for the extraordinary soundtrack and the sense of danger that surrounds all action, since the moment Ralston falls into the gully. The interpretation of Franco is very good: the actor managed to give his character the psychological aspect of a man in utter despair. For all this, the film was nominated for six Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for the song "If I Rise") and three Golden Globes (Best Dramatic Actor, Best Film Screenplay and Best Original Score).… Expand

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7

FairbottomMay 24, 2018

This is the harrowing tale of a man stuck between a rock and another rock. The full force of this man's situatedness between rocks can be captured in a single viewing. Nevertheless, this film will surely compete for pride of place in theThis is the harrowing tale of a man stuck between a rock and another rock. The full force of this man's situatedness between rocks can be captured in a single viewing. Nevertheless, this film will surely compete for pride of place in the betwixt-rocks genre of dramatic cinema.… Expand

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7

JeBjBoJan 14, 2023

great performance, clever directing and THAT scene everyone was talking about 2010

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8

ThejodjeremieOct 23, 2020

I love the movie because it shows even in a bad situation, you should try to keep going.

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10

Amirhosein2005May 12, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A film based on a deadly tragedy for a young rock climber who has to cut off his hand to survive is truly epic! The acting of James Franco, directed by Danny Boyle and the soundtrack are fantastic.… Expand

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5

JJ2FAS4UJan 20, 2022

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9

PhytomJan 22, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An awesome, thrilling movie that really makes you empathize with the character. Perfect cinematography when he cuts off his arm.… Expand

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127 Hours

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