127 Hours

I remember when this true story was in the news; I could never imagine having the strength and courage to survive such a horrible ordeal. While I was mesmerized by the true story, I couldn’t imagine how they could make it into a movie. When I heard the movie was directed by Danny Boyle and got rave reviews I moved it to the top of my Netflix queue. It was a great deicion.

In 127 Hours we meet Aron (James Franco). From what we can tell, he seems to be living a pretty busy and fulfilling life. However, he is so focused on himself that he fails to make time to keep in touch with his family or friends. Since he has some time off, he heads out to do some hiking/climbing in the desert. He is an experienced hiker, and a bit arrogant, so he sees no problem with heading out alone.

While in the hiking, he runs into a couple of cute girls so he takes a detour to show them a couple of cool spots in the desert. After he departs from the girls, he falls into a canyon where he finds his hand trapped between a small boulder and the canyon wall. Since Aron couldn’t find time to talk to his family and friends, no one knows where he is. The girls are long gone and he’s stuck with only his mind to save him.

As the days pass (127 hour worth) he plots, plans, hallucinates, loses hope and then finally comes to a decision that is truly heroic. Knowing there is no other way out, Aron cuts off his hand and crawls, dehydrated and emaciated, to the surface. There he is rescued and flown to safety.

I gave 127 Hours five stars. Even though the main character is trapped in one place throughout the bulk of the movie, there always seems to be action based on the workings of Aron’s mind. The cinematography is phenomenal; you almost feel the heat of the desert in the gorgeous camera work. But the truly remarkable element is James Franco. He’s always been an intriguing young actor, but this role shot him to new heights. Watching 127 Hours is a must for any movie lover.

Michelle D. Kieffaber