127 Hours (2010)

There is something about Danny Boyle's films that make them easy to identify. He has a style all his own with films such as Trainspotting, The Beach, and Slumdog Millionaire. The film seems to almost channel the colors and sounds of Slumdog, I'm not sure if he was just very happy with how that one turned out or if he was trying to bait another award. A.R. Rahman's style fit Slumdog brilliantly, but with this film the score just seemed a little off.

Anyways, I really like Boyle's work. Although none of his films are my "favorites" per se, from what I've seen they have been above average across the board, and now I'm motivated to see Millions. Which has been ideally sitting on my list for a while.

It is hard not to give away the plot and spoil the movie because the plot is so basic. A rock climber, climbing alone, gets stuck for more than a few days. That is vague enough to keep it exciting if you have been living under a rock [no pun intended]. There are a few supporting actors with very minor roles and limited scenes, but this film is all about James Franco's character, Aron. Based on a true story, don't look it up, it will ruin the surprise. I did like this film, it was gory at times and you should be prepared for some pretty intense scenes. A short film at only 94 minutes, but a simple plot, so it still does even seem to drag out a little at times. A worse director would have made this two and a half hours to try and make you experience the boredom the main character must have been going through.

Definitely one of the films worth seeing this year, Franco made this movie, but I wouldn't give him an Oscar just for making a film watchable by himself. The movie wasn't THAT good, and his role wasn't THAT complex. Check it out for yourself.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/

Share: