Review of Hours (2013) by Quincytheodore — 05 Feb 2015

It's a massive undertaking of being a sole lead of a feature film like Tom Hanks did in Castaway or James Franco in 127 hours. While not as brilliant as above, Paul Walker displayed a heartwarming and sincere performance as a father who struggles to protect his child. He was more known for starring in Fast & Furious franchise, along with many other action movies, but I feel Paul Walker had only begun to mature as an actor, he will be sorely missed.

Nolah Hayes (Paul Walker) is trapped in a hospital during her wife's labor and also hurricane Katrina, a mix of excellent timing and unfortunate fate. As the others evacuate he must stay because his newborn isn't strong enough for immediate travel. It's amazing how a simple premise can be explored so well with a good performance and a concept that's easily to connect with. Walker exhibits a wide range of emotion, from his self-doubt, rejection, anger and until his eventual acceptance to his morbid situation.

There's a good direction involved, as well as a couple of witty gimmicks to ensure the sense of stress, but this is practically Walker's show. Without his genuine performance, not much of the plot could've been so easily associable with the audience. If you simplify the movie, it's basically only him in a room or a building, yet it still produces tension as one is drawn to root for his character.

Pacing is sometimes slow, but it's just minor humps since the movie manages to display depth of human nature when faced with adversity. Dialogues are pretty good, although some consist of frantic laments. The crucial aspect is how Walker delivers it with a hint of desperation.

Hours is a simple movie elevated by a great actor, who delivered one of his last and best performance.