127 Hours (2010)

It can be a daunting task for a director to make a film that centres on one character and takes place in a static location. Danny Boyle took on this challenge and gave the world 127 Hours, based on the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston.

The film tells the true story of adventurer Aron Ralston, whose canyon-climbing adventure goes awry. Just 15 minutes into the film, which runs just over an hour and a half, Aron gets his arm wedged between a canyon wall and a boulder and must figure out how to escape. His situation is made all the more dire as he has little food, less water and not a single person knows where he is. With only a digital camera, camcorder and a dull multi tool to aid him, Aron is inevitably forced to do the unthinkable in order to survive.

127 Hours features some minor but strong performances by Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara as Kristi and Megan, the last people Aron sees before his ordeal. Flashbacks feature the stunning French beauty Clemence Poesy as Aron's ex-girlfriend he often thinks of while stuck in the canyon.

James Franco, playing Aron, carries the film wholly and completely. From funny and optimistic to bleak and completely hopeless, Franco plays out the full spectrum of emotions. The camera is nearly always focused solely on Franco and he does a magnificent job of keeping the audience entertained and drawn to him. Particular mention must be given to his performance during the self-amputation scene, as well as at the finale when he is finally free.

The camerawork is extraordinary in the film, from the vista shots of canyon country to the close-ups of Franco stuck in the canyon. The editing work is truly outstanding, featuring split screen shots, flashbacks and one intense dream sequence, as it never becomes boring to watch one man stuck in one place for nearly an entire film.

More than the camerawork or editing, though, 127 Hours provides arguably the best sounds that cinema has ever heard. The pulse pounding songs featured throughout add to the atmosphere of adrenaline even during Aron's desperation. It is, however, one sound in particular that will stay with you for a very long time.

The amputation scene is brutal and gory and the camera doesn't shy away from watching while a young man hacks off his own arm with a dull and very small blade. Above the visuals and the powerful acting from Franco, is the sound that is heard at deafening volume when Aron's knife hits the nerve, and continues until the nerve is severed. Spine-chilling and soul shattering is the noise that you have no choice but to hear.

127 Hours is a film that cannot be missed.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars