127 Hours (2010)

Based on the book 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' by Aron Ralston, this film tells the true story of a man who spent - you guessed it - 127 hours with his arm trapped under a rock.

Aron (James Franco) is an intrepid adventurer, and one Saturday, he ventures into the canyons of Utah, planning to rappel down a cliff face. After meeting strangers Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), and showing them to the climb they are looking for, he heads off on his own.

While climbing down between two rock faces, the rock he is standing on slips beneath him, and as he falls, the rock falls too, and traps his arm against the cliff.

Aron Ralston (James Franco).

Try as he might, he cannot pull it free and, given that no one else knows where he is, faces the prospect that he will inevitably die here.

Nevertheless, over the coming days, he tries as many things as he can think of to free himself, while also recording a video message for his parents (Treat Williams and Kate Burton) in case anything goes wrong.

I won't go any further with plot description, you really need to see it for yourself.

It goes without saying that the majority of the film consists of only James Franco on screen, and he carries this incredibly well. It takes a real talent to hold the attention of the audience with only one person, but Franco is truly in his element here. There are occasional flashbacks to earlier memories, including the turbulent relationship with ex-girlfriend Rana (Clémence Poésy), and his close relationship with his sister Sonja (Lizzy Caplan).

Aron Ralston (James Franco) and Rana (Clémence Poésy).

The screenplay is written by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, based on Ralston's own memoir. I have not read the book, so cannot comment on the quality of the adaptation, but the script is very well constructed. Again, with only one person on screen for the majority of the film, it cannot have been an easy undertaking, but the writers have managed to inject the script with plenty of action, and plenty of conflict, so that you will be on the edge of your seat from the moment Aron falls until the film's conclusion.

A. R. Rahman's music is barely present, but in a good way. At no point does any underscoring detract from what is going on on screen, but the few times where music is used, it is always supporting the on-screen action or, more to the point, the increasing level of tension and suspense.

Where this film truly shines is in its cinematography. Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle have captured not only the beautiful landscape of the natural environment, but also bring us right into the action when Aron finds himself trapped. The camera shots are well balanced between the vision from his camcorder and traditional shots that take in all the action. But at all times, we are right there in the middle of everything, experiencing Aron's growing terror along with him.

Aron Ralston (James Franco).

Director Danny Boyle has truly captured the emotion and fear of Aron's experience here. Despite having seen this film several times before, I still found myself drawn in yet again watching it for the purposes of writing this review; every twist and turn in the plot shocked me all over again.

If you haven't seen this film yet, I suggest you watch it at your earliest convenience.

7 out of 10.