Leave it to Danny Boyle to make gold out of something that seems less than thrilling.
We've all heard the story of the dude who got trapped while climbing and had to cut his hand off to escape with his life.
When I heard there was a movie being made of this true life tale, I really thought that there was little to be done with the story that could make it a whole movie. One guy, alone trapped for days until he realized nothing would save him and he makes the gut-wrenching move to remove his own hand. A logical decision since it was crushed and probably gangrenous by that point. Losing it meant he would be able to get out of there and actually live.
The summary probably more interesting than the real story could have been.
Then Danny Boyle gets on board. Anyone who has ever read my reviews before (and I thank both of you) knows of my man-crush on the British director.
He delivers on this one as well.
Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) is the real outdoor enthusiast who made one mistake and ended up trapped for days alone.
In the beginning of the movie, he seems like a typical narcissistic jackass as he bikes through the wilderness with his video camera mounted on his handlebars positioned to film his own face rather than the terrain he's on. I kind of hated him at the start of the movie.
Through an interesting character study and some decent acting, you actually end up happy for this guy by the end of the movie when he finally escapes.
Beautiful imagery and creative telling of a man's flirting with madness make this a film that will certainly get some talk come Oscar season again.
127 Hours gets an A.
--John Berry, Online Editor--