Surprisingly, yes. And how does it do this? By not falling into the trap of making it into a one-note tale of survival like so many filmmakers would do. When contemplating the situation that Ralston found himself in, most naturally ask themselves, "What would I do?", and they likely think, "Would I panic?". Nobody would volunteer to be stuck in a canyon and wait to die, but despite the horrific nature of Ralston's situation, no human being could possibly remain panicked for 127 hours. Initially, heart-stopping fear would absolutely overcome even us with the most steely natures, as the film shows when Ralston first falls into the crevice, but eventually, the feeling of alarm would subside as a whole bevy of emotions would flow through your mind.
And this is the genius of co-writer Simon Beaufoy and co-writer/director Danny Boyle. For a film with a large portion of it focused on one man, in one spot, this film has a lot of ups and downs. As I said, there are definitely moments of fear, but there are also times dominated by anger, laughter, resolve, playfulness, joy, despair, and regret. Coming off the success of 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire" (a film I felt was a bit overrated), Boyle does a masterful job of keeping the audience constantly engaged. The film starts off with a "no non-sense" quick pace, as it begins with Ralston leaving in the early morning on his fateful trip. The film never lets up with its pacing (including the ending that avoids the typical reunion scene), and uses visually creative methods such as split-screens to create a hyper-realistic sense that allows the audience to experience the same emotions, to the same extent, as Ralston does.
The film also does a number of small things that I really enjoyed. One is the great use of licensed music. I didn't recognize any of the music, but the tracks were really well chosen and played a big part in engendering the wide emotional palette that the film does. Another little element of "127 Hours" I was surprised to like so much was it's use of brand names. While some have criticized this as shameless commercialism, I found it a refreshing taste of realism. We are constantly bombarded with the message by people who think their superior to the simple bourgeoisie life that material things are pointless and shallow, and while I ultimately agree that material possessions don't matter, it is stupid and insincere not to admit that we all receive joy out of material things in this world, even if it is a fleeting joy. More importantly for this film though, if you were trapped in a spot and were basically waiting to die, along with family and loved ones, you would also miss things, such as Gatorade, Coke, beer, music, ect. "127 Hours" is not afraid to admit people's desires for things.
I could not write a review of "127 Hours" without mentioning the great performance given by James Franco. The film is basically James Franco, in one spot, in front of the camera, all on his own for about 80 minutes. It is a very daunting task for an actor, and very few actors would be able to pull this off, but Franco does so with flying colors. Franco is helped out with Boyle direction, but without a great performance by Franco, the film would fall flat. Franco's Ralston is a basically nice individual, who enjoys other people, but craves the freedom of being alone. He comes from a loving family, but is caught up in the life of an out-doors-man that he has made for himself, and this confidence in his capability to do anything solo is what leaves him in the precarious situation (although ironically his ultra individualism is probably what gave him the courage to amputate his own arm), and this is the ultimate message of the film ("Everybody needs somebody, some times").
Unfortunately, the film has not performed very well at the box office and I think I know why. I think that given the subject matter of the film, there are many squeamish people who are afraid that they won't be able to handle watching a man amputate his own arm. This is too bad, because unless you are extremely loathe to any sight of blood, the film is far from the goriest films in cinema history. Even the scene where he finally amputates his arm is less intense than say the opening sequence of "Saving Private Ryan". "127 Hours" is without a doubt one of the best films of the year, so if you can muster some courage and as long as you don't faint at the sight of any blood, make an effort to see this film.
Rating: 9/10
Christopher Lominac
I agree that by showing the actual consumer products with their familiar logos helped to create an easier path for the audience to indentify with this poor man's situation. I also was very impressed with James Franco's ability to pull off this lone acting role. I enjoyed the contrast between the opening scenes of places with throngs of people in over-crowded places to the ultimate isolation. I'm pleased you wrote a positive review, since I too really liked it.
ReplyDelete