It is little surprise that News broadcasters jumped on Aron Ralston’s story in the way they did. In May 2003, Aron went canyoneering in Utah’s wilderness, only to have his arm irreversibly trapped by a boulder. After five days of struggle his only solution was to take a dull knife and amputate his right arm in order to implement his escape. The story is a testament to the power of the human will. It is also, without doubt a great talking piece. I remember hearing about it on the radio and debating with friends whether they thought they were capable of committing to such feats of human endurance and self-harm.
In short, Aron’s story makes for an excellent 5 minute news story, but does it work when stretched out to feature length?
It works, and it does so with some aplomb, largely thanks to the pairing of director Danny Boyle and lead-actor James Franco. Boyle’s frenetic energy, invention and probing camera are the driving force of the film. Just see, for instance, the camera follow Franco as he dives from a cavern into a pool of water below. 127 Hours has a kind of innovative force at its core that ensures it’s never less than beautiful to look at.
Granted, there are times when Boyle throws everything, including the kitchen sink at the camera (taking this expression to heart, he even shows us three angles of a tap dripping at one stage) in a way that can frustrate rather than animate. Picture a car commercial whose emphasis is on having a rousing soundtrack and fitting as much as it possibly can into its run-time. But as the film’s frantic pacing eases after its first-third to acknowledge Aron’s isolation, I must concede that 127 Hours' off-kilter pace serves a purpose and is worth the payoff.
Aron Ralston has led his life like he’s the star of his own action film. Being trapped in a canyon, miles away from any civilization, is, no doubt something of a wake-up call. He isn’t an invulnerable Jason Bourne type figure; he’s a human-being, all too capable of making mistakes.
Given the nature of the story, 127 Hours is very much a performance piece. It is the story of one man trapped in a canyon desperately trying to engineer his own escape. Yes, Aron does run into a couple of passer-bys and other people do feature in his flashbacks, but it is his presence that dominates the screen. Thankfully, James Franco throws himself with abandon into the role, no doubt aware that the film flies or dies with his performance. He is capable of casting Aron as both an action-hero, adventurer-extraordinaire and a lonely, desolate, hopeless individual.
127 Hours is the story of a man undergoing an epiphany. A young man learns to abandon a sense of independence that often borders on selfishness and accept others into his life. It is, essentially, the story of a man learning to leave a note whenever he goes out. Thanks to James Franco I bought this all the way. Never have the words “I need help”, had such gravitas.
Then, of course, there comes the scene where-in, Aron has to amputate right arm below the elbow with a dull knife. Before he can do this, he has to break his arm so that he can avoid sawing through bone. It’s as uncomfortable as one might expect and only goes to support my overwhelming feeling that if I were placed in Aron’s position, I wouldn’t have the guts or the wherewithal to do what needed to be done.
It’s a testament to Boyle’s directorial prowess that most of the discomfort arising from that scene arises from mere suggestion, rather than any explicit or superfluous focus on the act itself. Despite this, perhaps the biggest compliment I can offer Boyle’s film is that it manages to be both emotionally gripping and physically repulsive – a remarkable achievement.
I have only one question. How on earth did Aron manage to put his wristwatch on with one hand?
