127 Hours

Date Released: January 28, 2011
Director:  Danny Boyle
Cast: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Treat Williams
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Rating: 8.0/10 (IMDB.com)

     James Franco stars as Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who is forced to cut off his right forearm to free himself from a boulder that wedges it against a canyon wall.  Based on a true story and the book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", written by Aron Ralston, "127 Hours" follows the events leading up to, during, and after the incident in which Ralston taps into his survival instincts and manages to escape a slow and inevitable death.
     Mountain climbing in Utah, Ralston falls in between a crevice and manages to get himself trapped in an inconceivable situation; his right forearm stuck between a boulder and a canyon wall.  Ralston fails to leave a note telling anyone where he is going and his only tools are a climbing rope, a video camera, some food and water, and a meager multipurpose tool (not a Swiss Army Knife).  Director Danny Boyle does a great job in portraying what this unfortunate situation was like for Ralston; the initial panic that set in, the failed attempts to free himself, and eventually, the bravery he had in actually cutting off his own forearm!  I don't know if I could have done it, could you?
     I highly recommend this film on the basis that I have never seen a story quite like it.  James Franco was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role and the movie was also nominated for Best Picture.  Franco is great in the movie and does a terrific job in selling his character.  Audiences will definitely be entertained but certainly grossed out by this film, but it is not so graphic that it becomes unwatchable.  Ralston's story is truly one of guts, courage, and the ultimate will of human survival.

My Rating: 8.1/10
Available on DVD

Posted by Matt