He possesses the fun-loving and care-free charisma of Ralston then slowly breaks that shell and shows his human fragility. Although boredom might set in for some during this film given its plot, the believability of Franco's performance remains constant and irrefutable. A film about a man trapped in a crevice for more than five days needs a heck of a lead actor and Franco, despite few dramatic credits to this point, proves beyond capable. What's obvious is that none of the impact of "127 Hours" is possible without Franco. Anyway, Boyle makes it his mission to use Ralston's incredible true story - one that told at face value would probably just elicit gasps - to alter our perspective on living. In fact, I might argue 9 of 10 people wouldn't do what Aron Ralston (James Franco) does in this film. "127 Hours" does not simply prove the point that humans will do whatever it takes to survive in dire circumstances.
Boyle, however, transforms it into a powerful statement about the will to live and where that motivation truly comes from. This could have easily been a compelling but plain and ordinary documentary on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic about a man pinned under a boulder who miraculously survives. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?īoyle and Franco turn a true survival story into a powerful statement about livingĪs demonstrated by his ability to earn acclaim in everything from zombie films ("28 Days Later") to foreign coming-of-age love stories ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Danny Boyle has an extraordinary gift as a filmmaker and in "127 Hours," he channels it into an extraordinary story of human willpower. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident.
Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. JOIN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of satisfied members who became tired of waiting for DVDs in the mail, and now watch the hottest NEW RELEASES and CLASSICS on our site.ġ27 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.