TIFF Movie Review: 127 Hours (2010)
Absolute movie magic
Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Whether you know the story or not won't affect your experience whatsoever when it comes to Danny Boyle's enthralling 127 Hours. It speaks directly to the core of the human experience. It's entertaining, emotional, uplifting, exasperating and altogether breath-taking. Very few films can get me glassy-eyed and put a lump in my throat, but the final five minutes of 127 Hours are five of the greatest minutes I've seen all year and Boyle makes it look so easy.
The cast includes James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Lizzy Caplan, Clémence Poésy, Treat Williams and Kate Burton. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"127 Hours" is a Fox Searchlight Pictures release, directed by Danny Boyle and is rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images.
Once Ralston gets to his destination Boyle gets us acquainted with Ralston in a matter of minutes and all through the experience of watching him at play. We're with him as he bikes through the Utah terrain. He crashes and stops to take a picture while he lay in a heap before he sets off again. Shortly thereafter he stumbles upon a pair of hikers (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn) and guides them to a hidden oasis before he's off again. It's at this point, nearly 20 minutes into the film, one false move finds Ralston's arm stuck between a falling boulder and the canyon wall, several feet below the surface in a small isolated crack in the Earth.
Alone and unable to move, the next 70 minutes consider Ralston's dilemma and Franco delivers a performance as perfectly measured as you could ask for. As time passes he recounts time spent with his family, remembering how he didn't take his mother's phone call before he left, thinking of his ex-girlfriend (Clemence Poesy) and recording personal messages on his camcorder believing these will be the final hours of his life.
It's bleak, I won't tell you it isn't, but Franco doesn't play it as a sad sack whiner. He may believe this may be the end, but he still chips away at the boulder, devises a makeshift pully system and by the end resorts to drastic measures in an attempt to pull free. It's some of the most harrowing moments you'll see on film and Boyle utilizes more than just Franco's performance. With the help of cinematographers Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak, he explores every aspect of the senses that cinema can provide, from silence to spectacle.
This is undoubtedly Danny Boyle at his dramatic finest. 127 Hours has a certain amount of electricity to it and just as Slumdog Millionaire benefit from his musical choices with a score from A.R. Rahman, Boyle brings Rahman back and along with the oddly appropriate use of Bill Withers's "Lovely Day" and a tune from the Icelandic group Sigor Rós playing over those final five minutes I mentioned earlier. It's perfect filmmaking and it touches you not only out of happiness and sadness, but more out of an appreciation for life and not only yours.
It's a weird feeling to stare glassy-eyed at the screen and feel an absolute sense of awe at what you're watching. 127 Hours wore me out and at the end I wasn't making any immediate move for the exit. It's reassuring when you see great filmmakers making great films and staying clear from the ordinary. To think Boyle and co-writer Simon Beaufoy were able to deliver such an emotional ride out of such a seemingly small story is movie magic at its best.
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I knew it!
may be but i dislike the trailer(music,style,structure)
What?!
I dislike the trailer!
I LOVED Slumdog so I'm definitely looking forward to this.
Wow, I cannot wait for this. Any film lover understands that feeling described by Brad at the end of his review! Heaven only knows when it will be released in South Africa though.
Wow, great review Brad! I had a feeling this was going to be a good one. Between this, Black Swan, The Town and The Social Network, I've got a lot of good movies to left to see this year!
Hell yes. I thought Slumdog was overrated but I'm incredibly excited for this.
Brad, great review, but did you mean to say move magic or movie magic?
Dance magic.
Oh Me of little faith…
I thought Slumdog Millionaire was overrated so I'm hoping this is better. From the looks of your review I think it will be.
The end of this year definately looks much stronger than last year. Really excited for alot of these films coming out..The Town, Black Swan, 127 Hours, Social Network, Catfish.
DefinItely. Please.
I hate Slumdog Millionaire. So I might hate this, but we'll see. James Franco is a great actor, but I think Danny Boyle is highly overrated.
I know the story and have been very excited about this film, but really didn't like the trailer apart from the Utah scenery. The review has now enthused me all over again and I'm really looking forward to seeing this.
I liked Slumdog, but I'm surprised that no one is mentioning Trainspotting which in my opinion is a truly great film.
I release I'm a charleton, but I dug 28 Days Later and Sunshine as pieces of wonderful genre cinema.
On the other hand, you have to look pretty hard to find someone who will taut The Beach as Danny Boyle's finest moment.
When we saw this in Telluride, the projector lost sound and the movie stopped for five minutes. By the end of the screening, no one remembered the stoppage. A great movie, glad you enjoyed it as much as I did, Brad.
I cant wait for this but at first it didnt look like a boyle movie really
Could you tell me how much chance does James Franco have to win the Oscar? Is he better than Colin Firth?
i cannot wait to see this movie. Danny Boyle never disappoints.
Honestly, I thought the trailer was terribly done. But, I have faith in your review, and in Danny Boyle.
I read that the song playing over the final 5 minutes is by Dido called "If I Rise"…it sounded like Sigur Ros but I wasn't sure.
If you definitely know it was Sigur Rose would you happen to know the name of the song.
I think you're right and I am pretty sure it is the new Dido and A.R. Rahman collaboration, which, as you said, is called "If I Rise".
I am so excited about this movie!!! I have seen Aron Ralston speak about his experience in the canyon and read his book (recommend). This movie looks just perfect! I cannot wait to see it. Great review!