Review of 127 Hours (2010) by Justin J — 23 Jun 2012

It starts out energetic. The pulsating music, the whispering lyrics, all high energy getting you ready for what turns out to be a rather quiet movie. The character of Aron Ralston, played with such intensity from the always enjoyable James Franco, is running around gathering equipment. His phone rings and he doesn't answer. He goes to the sink and fills the bottle with water until it spills over the top. And it's interesting here even; the camera focuses in on the water dripping from the faucet. You just know, that's important or it will be. Then more high energy, he is driving fast. The middle of the night, he is passing fast food joints, downing Gatorade. Then he finds his spot, parks in the dirt and sleeps. Quiet. Then boom: bright sunlight. Ralston is biking with such intensity and focus. His music blaring, the video camera attached to the front captures it all. He stumbles upon two lost hikers played by Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara. Ralston helps the two hikers find what they are looking for and shows them a hidden pool underground. Then with a warm goodbye and an invitation to a party that they are having the next night, Ralston leaves. His music still blaring, Ralston focused on his hike, he comes upon a split in the ground, one he is intent on climbing into. He jumps down, sees a rock, kicks to see if it sturdy then continues to climb down. He grabs the rock he kicked and in a split second, it wobbles free and Ralston falls. Once he lands he looks at what the rock has done, it has landed on his right hand trapping him. And then, only then do you see the title of the movie: 127 Hours. And for the next hour and a half you go with Ralston as he looks back on his whole life and how that rock, as he puts it "has been waiting for me my entire life. It's entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago.... I've been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath that I've taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface." The whole film I think is all about the will to survive and how some things you just can't avoid. You must look at the challenges of life and through hard work and, in Ralston's case, sacrifice, you must overcome the challenges. In Ralston's case, this rock was his challenge and I'd be goddamned if he didn't find a way to get around it. He cuts off his arm, to put it frankly. It is a rather unpleasant scene, but it is an important and it needs to be shown. Overall this is a really good movie and I am glad it is more about just a guy and a rock, it's really about the types of lives we lead and the choices we make.

4/5, A.