Retro Review: 127 Hours

Writer's Note: In honor of actor James Franco's much-deserved win for "The Disaster Artist" at the Golden Globes, I thought I'd reprint my review of his most-celebrated previous role, another biopic, this time of mountaineer Aron Ralston, "127 Hours." This review was previously published in UAB's Kaleidoscope student newspaper on January 30th, 2011. 

Like the subject it revolves around, “127 Hours,” the true-life dramatization of mountaineer Aron Ralston’s incredible tale of survival, is a bit of an endurance test. There’s probably nary a person going in that doesn’t know how the story ends: with the willful- and necessary- self-amputation of Ralston’s entire hand and most of his forearm, in order to escape a freak accident in which he was trapped in a mountain crevasse via a falling boulder.  

Potential viewers should also know that roughly 90% of the film takes place in this very location, so those with claustrophobia need not apply. There are a few blissful moments at the beginning involving two ladies (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) and a swimming hole inside a cave, but practically the minute that ends, Ralston proceeds to fall to his fate, and that is where we spend the bulk of the rest of the film. 

For the record, newly minted Oscar nominee (and soon-to-be Academy Awards telecast co-host) James Franco, really earns his keep here. He pretty much is the movie for the most part, save a few key flashbacks and hallucinations along the way. As such, things could have gone horribly awry, had the film been miscast. 

Fortunately, the filmmakers, including Oscar-winning director, Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”), chose wisely. Franco is nothing if not likably affable, recalling a less-affected Ethan Hawke, down to his quirky resume, which likewise includes writing as well as acting.  

Given how grim all of this could have been, “127 Hours” is remarkably uplifting, overall. Maybe it’s because we know that Ralston is going to eventually make it out of there alive perhaps, but there is no denying that the film is an intense experience. 

We are there every step- and misstep- of the way with Ralston, practically reliving the experience as he did, to a certain extent. When he is sick to his stomach and dying of starvation, so are we. When he drops a key item, we feel like Ralston must have when he did the same. And most of all, we feel empathy.  

Sure, it was a bit of a bonehead move to take off and not tell anyone where he was going, but who among us hasn’t done an idiotic thing or two in our lives? The point is, this perfectly nice guy is suffering unduly, and we can’t help but feel bad for him, even if it was a bad move all around to go about things the way he did.  

Not that he isn’t painfully aware- emphasis on the pain- of what his actions have cost him. Quite the contrary. In one of the film’s most memorable sequences, Ralston imagines himself to be the host (and contestants) of a faux talk show, wryly noting how he neglected to tell anyone about his whereabouts. It’s funny and sad all at once, and part of the reason the film works so well, despite the grisly centerpiece.  

We get to know and like this man, and it’s beyond horrifying what happens to him, which is what makes the film as effective as it is. Granted, there’s never any doubt he will make it out of there, but it’s a testament to Franco’s skill as an actor that we still find ourselves rooting for him to do so, despite how awful what he must do is.  

Yes, for those who are faint at heart, the film does feature some exceptionally graphic special effects during the amputation scene that are really hard to watch, least of all because we know it really happened.   

By the same token, if you’re among those for whom the whole amputation thing was actually a draw for going to see the film, mission accomplished. It’s hard to say exactly who would be into such a thing, but they’re clearly out there, and I’m guessing they weren’t among those who walked out of the screening during the aforementioned scene at the showing I attended. It’s an actively unpleasant scene, to be sure, but it’s also followed by the most undiluted bit of happiness in the film.  

The locations are staggeringly beautiful and captured ably by cinematographers Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle, who also worked with director Boyle on “Slumdog Millionaire.” The pair do an amazing job of juggling how gorgeous the background scenery is with how dire and isolated Ralston is.  

Either way, “127 Hours” is definitely a film worth seeing, but it’s not for everyone, particularly the squeamish. Your best bet would be to look up the real-life story of Ralston on the Biography Channel before watching the film so you know what you’re in for, but the fact remains that the film succeeds in getting you in that mindset without being exploitative in the process. No mean feat, that.