127 HOURS (2010)

There is no doubt that the story of Aron Ralston and his extraordinary will to survive is a remarkable one, but the fact that Danny Boyle has managed to make such a remarkable film of such a solitary, isolated, personal event is a tribute to his talents.

Boyle could have had his pick of films after the huge success of Slumdog Millionaire, in fact I'm sure he was offered a whole host of projects from various studios and producers, but he followed it up with this tale of a mountain climber, trapped in a narrow crevice when a boulder falls on his arm. It seems ideally suited to a documentary, echoing Touching The Void, especially when you consider that Ralston himself filmed footage of his ordeal on a handheld video camera, but Boyle saw something in it that no one else would have.



There are two stars to the film. The first being Boyle's direction. In a film about an adrenaline-junkie, he ramps up the visuals, starting in a similarly high-octane fashion, thumping music, energetic camerawork as we follow Ralston through his preparation for a trip to the remote canyons where he seeks his thrills. It suits perfectly to the character, I wasn't given time to catch my breath. These impacting, relentless start is made all the more effective when the accident occurs and Ralston if left helpless. No noise, simple shots of his face, I was, along with our protagonist, brought swiftly down to earth.

That is where we are forced to stay for the rest of the film. Boyle again treats us to his creativity behind the camera. Fast, hurried cuts, the camera, and the viewer, is taken on a journey, at times inside a water bottle, inside his arm, at others flying high above the canyon highlighting the isolation and the gravity of Ralston's plight. They are flashy tricks, but they are far from style over substance. In some films these tricks can put a distance between what is on-screen and the viewer, but in this case I was drawn in further, become embroiled in the intensity. No escape.

As time wears on, Ralston's condition worsens and the dehydration takes hold of his sanity. This gives Boyle license to take us on beautiful flashbacks and subject us to trippy visions, leaving me to question what is real and what is not. I really felt as though I was living the ordeal with Ralston.

It's also worth mentioning the sound. It seems as though the volume has been turned up to 11, you hear every crack of rock, every breath, every bit of wildlife. Again it puts us in Ralston's shoes, it's inevitable that he would hear any sound in the hope that it was help on it's way.

The other star is James Franco, who plays Ralston. It's been clear for some time that he is a very talented actor, but this really is a performance where people will take notice. The whole film hangs on him and how convincing his depiction is. He is utterly believable as the thrill-seeker at the beginning of the film, all pumped up arrogance and selfishness, he thinks he has it all sussed. However, it's when he is between a rock and a hard place (see what I've done there) when he is really impressive. His transition from disbelief to will to survive at all costs, via descent into insanity and hopelessness is incredible. I was hanging on every facial movement, every grimace, every word muttered to himself. Some might thing that Boyle's insistence on using widgets and fancy camera angles is a signal of a lack of confidence in his leading man. Far from it. Boyle's visual flair compliments Franco's astonishing display. I have had the pleasure of seeing three great actors at the peak of their powers in one week. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and now James Franco. I love awards season.

If there is one minor criticism, it's that we all know what happens at the end, it means that you aren't really, deep down, terrified of what is going to happen. Plus because you know what he does in order to survive, you inevitably are waiting for that to happen. Having said that, it doesn't detract from the intensity of the experience and the zippy style and 90 minute running time meant that I was never bored for one second.

Boyle has created a film that is harrowing ('The' scene is very graphic and not for the faint-hearted) at times, but ultimately one of the most uplifting and inspirational films in recent years. He even gets away with a slightly cheesy final frame as I recovered from the tear-jerking finale. I'm desperate to know what his next project will be.

This film rocks.