 | 127 Hours Directed By Danny Boyle
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Product Description
From Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) comes the powerfully uplifting true story of one man's struggle to survive against mountainous odds. Aron Ralston (James Franco) has a passion for all things outdoors. But when a falling boulder traps him in a remote Utah canyon, a thrill-seeker's adventure becomes the challenge of a lifetime. Over the next five days, Ralston embarks on a remarkable personal journey in which he relies on the memories of family and friends--as well as his own courage and ingenuity--to turn adversity into triumph!
- Amazon Sales Rank: #9135 in DVD
- Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
- Released on: 2011-03-01
- Rating: R (Restricted)
- Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Original language: English, Spanish
- Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
- Dubbed in: French, Spanish
- Dimensions: .0 pounds
- Running time: 94 minutes
Amazon.com
Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) is traipsing alone through Utah's Canyonlands National Park, minding his own sweet-natured, loosey-goosey business, when an errant step drops him into a crevasse. That in itself wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't managed to get his right hand stuck between a heavy boulder and the side of the cavern--a cavern that will be his grave, if he doesn't figure out how to get himself out. Danny Boyle's film of this real-life 2003 incident builds up to what we all know is going to happen: Ralston must sever his arm between his elbow and wrist, after a few long, lonely days of avoiding the idea. (Superb casual line delivery by Franco: "So I found this great tourniquet….") Because this is a film by the director of Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, we can expect a barrage of visual high jinks, despite the fact that this story would seem to be a simple tale of a man stuck in the desert. Boyle deploys flashbacks and fantasies to fill up the screen, plus he gets some mileage out of Ralston's video camera--and, of course, this director can't resist juicing the soundtrack with pop tunes, from Sigur Rós to Edith Piaf to Slumdog composer A.R. Rahman. Maybe Boyle is simply hyperactive, or maybe he's really onto something about what would happen inside the mind of a man left in extremis for an extended period (who wouldn't have a few Boyle-esque hallucinations, under the circumstances?). The cumulative effect is overbearing, but Franco's performance is spirited and endearing--he makes Ralston sufficiently "of life" that you definitely don't want to see this goofball soul be lost. --Robert Horton
Most helpful customer reviews
71 of 84 people found the following review helpful.
A Powerful, Impactful Story
By thornhillatthemovies.com
"127 Hours", director Danny Boyle's ("Trainspotting", "28 Days Later") follow-up to "Slumdog Millionaire" is a near great film. I honestly can't tell you the last time I was so moved by a piece of celluloid. "127" has created both pleasant and nightmarish memories, memories that will stay with me for many, many years to come.
Aron Ralston (James Franco) quickly grabs some supplies and heads out to his favorite spot, the canyons near Moab, Utah. As soon as the sun rises, he jumps on a mountain bike and heads out to explore and enjoy the great outdoors, heading to a spot some twenty miles away. He crosses paths with two young women, Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn) and agrees to show them the way to their destination. Once there, they swim and dive and have fun. After a few hours, they head on to complete their individual journeys. As Aron navigates a narrow crevasse, a small boulder comes loose, causing him to fall and wedging his arm between the wall and the boulder. He can't budge it and becomes worried at the sight of some streaks of blood. Aron takes stock and has very limited food, some water, stretchy cord, a camera, a video camera and a dull knife. Before leaving for the trip, he wasn't able to find his Swiss Army knife, so he is left with a dull give-away promotional knife. He tries to chip away at the sandstone, to move the rock, but doesn't make any progress. Over the next five days and twenty hours, Aron has to figure out how to use the limited supplies he has to survive until he can be rescued. Or, on the other hand, he has to figure out if and how he can get out of this situation on his own.
Boyle starts the film by masterfully depicting why Aron, and others like him, are so eager to escape the city, eager to mountain bike in the wilderness, eager to climb rock formations, eager to backpack. When he meets the two women, they even remark about how they don't feel like they figured into Aron's day. Aron is the type of guy who actively looks for adventure and makes decisions on the spur of the moment. This is why he agrees to spend time with the young women, setting his schedule back half a day.
As soon as Aron gets trapped, Boyle has to do something to give us more details into the adventurer's history. He has to make us care about this man and he can't really do that by keeping us only with Aron for the rest of the film. As Ralston tries to assess his situation, a memory surfaces and this gives Boyle the opportunity to show us a brief part of his past. The technique Boyle uses seems more suited for films made in the late '60s. And normally, this would drive me crazy. But in this situation, these moments work, primarily because they are pretty brief. They also move back and forth between more real and more imagined settings. For instance, Aron remembers a moment he and his dad shared during his childhood. They sit on an old couch in the family home, talking. Then his dad is gone and young Aron is still sitting on the couch, but the couch now sits in the crevasse Aron is trapped in, the sand and rock walls surrounding the furniture, visible to the side.
Boyle introduces us to Aron's father (Treat Williams) and mother (Kate Burton) and the love of his life, Rana (Clemence Poesy). These moments, though brief, helps to give us insight into Aron's character and life. Because they are so brief, it is surprising that we feel we know Aron and his family so well. We really get a feeling for him and come to care for him.
A lot of the credit for the success of this film lies with Franco. For much of the relatively short running time, Franco is the only person on screen and this would only serve to amplify any poorly acted moment, any false characterization, any thing that doesn't ring true. From the first moment he is on screen, we start to understand him. He is most happy when he is explaining what some stretch of wilderness is, the history of a cavern, earning some bit of solitude to compensate for any minute of time he is forced to spend cooped up in the city. In this element, he finds peace and revels in every moment.
When he meets Kristi and Megan, Franco's smile helps us recognize he simply wants to have a good time. Sex isn't a part of the equation, he wants to share some moments with like personalities. Later, when he is trapped and has a lot of time to think, he remembers back to some moments in his life. When we return to him, Franco's demeanor and facial expressions seem to be an honest portrayal of how the young man would react. And make us feel he is really remembering these moments.
When Aron finally realizes what he has to do, Franco shows us the horror of this realization and the pain of this decision.
THE moment is both necessary and extremely difficult to watch. It is necessary because it is a part of the story. But so many other filmmakers would shy away from a frank depiction of this moment. Boyle doesn't. Without it, the story would be nowhere near as impactful. Because of it, you might have nightmares. It would be gruesome enough, hard enough to watch if he had found his Swiss Army knife. But without it... I just shudder thinking about it again.
The film ends with a coda giving us an update on Aron Ralston's life. During the moments before this, I started to tear up because he was going to be okay, because he was going to make it, something I already knew given he wrote the book this film is based on, but I was still extremely moved. And the last few moments give us a glimpse of the real Ralston and all of the people affected by this incident. Because of everything Boyle and Franco are able to accomplish throughout the film, I was extremely moved by these brief images.
Best of all, Boyle ends the film, presents this coda, in a way stylistically in tune with the rest of the journey and all of those memory flashbacks/
"127 Hours" is a great piece of filmmaking. You need to see it. You can always close your eyes if that scene becomes too much for you.
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful.Resourcefulness And Perseverance--A Harrowing, Yet Life Affirming, Struggle For Survival
By K. Harris
From the macabre paranoia of "Shallow Grave" to the comedic debauchery of "Trainspotting" to the disturbing creepiness of "28 Days Later" to the fanciful romanticism of "Slumdog Millionaire," director Danny Boyle has made kinetic films that really connect to the viewer at a visceral level. Very much a visual stylist, Boyle uses every tool at his disposal--quick cut editing, frantic camera movement, fantasy sequences, jarring music--to really delve into the emotional core of whatever story he is telling. At first glance, "127 Hours" would seem an odd follow-up to the Oscar winning "Slumdog." Stripped down to the most primal level, "127 Hours" is one of the simplest, most straightforward narratives you're likely to encounter. And yet, through the technical bells and whistles and an earnest James Franco performance, you are immersed in a world of madness, desperation, perseverance, hope, struggle and ultimately survival. And there is no denying that this very matter-of-fact tale packs a punch!
Franco plays real-life adventurer Aron Ralston. In 2003, the reckless Ralston set off to explore Utah's Canyonlands National Park. No one knew where he is going and safety was secondary to fun in Ralston's blissed-out commune with nature. While negotiating a crevice, a boulder dislodged and trapped Ralston's arm stranding him in isolation within the earth. The film then documents Ralston's dilemma for the next 127 hours. With limited supplies and no mobility, Boyle makes the most of his claustrophobic environment by inviting us into Ralston's mind. And the primary success of "127 Hours" is that it really traps us within this confined space as well. We're there to the bitter end where survival and sacrifice meet at a crossroads.
In many ways, I wish people cold go into "127 Hours" with no expectations and forewarning of what is going to happen. I know that's naive. Ralston's tale is certainly public domain--reported on TV, the subject of books and news features. In fact, the entire film is marketed around the gruesome turning point in Ralston's struggle. This decisive act that spared Ralston's life is so harrowing and Boyle does not shy away from its unpleasantness. But the promise of this scene lingers over all that proceeds it. We are biding time for this ultimate act. We know what's going to happen and we know it's going to be graphic--everyone has told us so well in advance. But that sequence is so strong, it has come to define the entire movie. "127 Hours" has literally come to be described as "the movie where he......." (I, for my part, have resisted divulging this point--although you can read it everywhere else, including the product description and other reviews).
Franco does a great job making us root for Ralston. Impetuous and somewhat irresponsible, this thrill seeker didn't take the necessary precautions advisable. He thought he was immune to the dangers inherent in the mountain. But Franco makes him such a life force, you want him to be the victor over his poor decisions. His whip smart survival instinct keeps him alive and he never gives up. But as he faces mortality, he comes to understand his shortcomings and even faces visions of the future. His videotaped proclamations to his family are the emotional highpoint of "127 Hours." Franco is a physical actor and acquits himself well in the adventure scenes--but it is the immobile moments that showcase an interior to Franco that hasn't always been on full display in other films. Boyle takes full advantage of Franco and delivers one of the year's most effective human dramas. Stunning in its simplicity, "127 Hours" has an energy and vitality that make it stand out from the pack. KGHarris, 11/10.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful.Resourcefulness And Perseverance--A Harrowing, Yet Life Affirming, Struggle For Survival
By K. Harris
From the macabre paranoia of "Shallow Grave" to the comedic debauchery of "Trainspotting" to the disturbing creepiness of "28 Days Later" to the fanciful romanticism of "Slumdog Millionaire," director Danny Boyle has made kinetic films that really connect to the viewer at a visceral level. Very much a visual stylist, Boyle uses every tool at his disposal--quick cut editing, frantic camera movement, fantasy sequences, jarring music--to really delve into the emotional core of whatever story he is telling. At first glance, "127 Hours" would seem an odd follow-up to the Oscar winning "Slumdog." Stripped down to the most primal level, "127 Hours" is one of the simplest, most straightforward narratives you're likely to encounter. And yet, through the technical bells and whistles and an earnest James Franco performance, you are immersed in a world of madness, desperation, perseverance, hope, struggle and ultimately survival. And there is no denying that this very matter-of-fact tale packs a punch!
Franco plays real-life adventurer Aron Ralston. In 2003, the reckless Ralston set off to explore Utah's Canyonlands National Park. No one knew where he is going and safety was secondary to fun in Ralston's blissed-out commune with nature. While negotiating a crevice, a boulder dislodged and trapped Ralston's arm stranding him in isolation within the earth. The film then documents Ralston's dilemma for the next 127 hours. With limited supplies and no mobility, Boyle makes the most of his claustrophobic environment by inviting us into Ralston's mind. And the primary success of "127 Hours" is that it really traps us within this confined space as well. We're there to the bitter end where survival and sacrifice meet at a crossroads.
In many ways, I wish people cold go into "127 Hours" with no expectations and forewarning of what is going to happen. I know that's naive. Ralston's tale is certainly public domain--reported on TV, the subject of books and news features. In fact, the entire film is marketed around the gruesome turning point in Ralston's struggle. This decisive act that spared Ralston's life is so harrowing and Boyle does not shy away from its unpleasantness. But the promise of this scene lingers over all that proceeds it. We are biding time for this ultimate act. We know what's going to happen and we know it's going to be graphic--everyone has told us so well in advance. But that sequence is so strong, it has come to define the entire movie. "127 Hours" has literally come to be described as "the movie where he......." (I, for my part, have resisted divulging this point--although you can read it everywhere else, including the product description and other reviews).
Franco does a great job making us root for Ralston. Impetuous and somewhat irresponsible, this thrill seeker didn't take the necessary precautions advisable. He thought he was immune to the dangers inherent in the mountain. But Franco makes him such a life force, you want him to be the victor over his poor decisions. His whip smart survival instinct keeps him alive and he never gives up. But as he faces mortality, he comes to understand his shortcomings and even faces visions of the future. His videotaped proclamations to his family are the emotional highpoint of "127 Hours." Franco is a physical actor and acquits himself well in the adventure scenes--but it is the immobile moments that showcase an interior to Franco that hasn't always been on full display in other films. Boyle takes full advantage of Franco and delivers one of the year's most effective human dramas. Stunning in its simplicity, "127 Hours" has an energy and vitality that make it stand out from the pack. KGHarris, 11/10.
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