James Franco gives his right arm to 127 Hours

Based on the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, 127 Hours is the true story of Aron Ralston, an outdoorsman in his late 20s with a passion for mountaineering. While canyoning one sunny afternoon in Utah, he misjudged a boulder and took a fall. This would not have been so bad – he is an experienced climber after all – except that his right arm is pinned under the boulder and he is trapped 100ft inside a canyon in the middle of the great wilderness. The film charts the tale of Aron Ralston’s struggle to stay alive and is is certainly not for the faint-hearted.

There are many sound reasons to go and see 127 Hours, not least because it is Danny Boyle’s latest film. The British director whose debut with Trainspotting gained him a cult following, and recent Oscar-winning hit Slumdog Millionaire, has thankfully not lost his unique style in going international. 127 Hours is a pure brew of Boyle’s essence and it exudes a very indie feel for a mainstream film. Boyle is not afraid to experiment with the unconventional and the brilliant cinematography is one of many things that make this movie so worth watching. Boyle combines dreamy surrealism with a hardy “Man vs. The Wild” film: an unusual, heady concoction that is fresh and invigorating.

In a role that earned him a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination, James Franco pulls off a wide-ranging portrayal of mountaineer Aron Ralston. Aron Ralston was an avid cameraman and documented his adventures extensively. Staying true to this, Boyle uses Ralston’s self-documented videos as an integral part in exploring his character transformation, propelling the plot forward (it’s like what James Cameron did in Avatar, only better). From the carefree adventurer we were introduced to at the start of the movie, Franco’s Ralston transforms into the solemn man facing his impending death as things gets desperate under the boulder. It is a performance that shines through to the heart of the audience.

Franco’s performance, however, is not enough to carry the film and it is a surprising stumbling block for Boyle, who has created some excellent character driven dramas (Slumdog Millionaire and Sunshine), that 127 Hours’ main weakness is its lack of story. It feels very much like one of those indie films that have so much style but lack plot content. After the first 15 minutes or so, Aron gets trapped under the boulder and, for the remainder of the movie, his struggle to free himself to no avail is an onslaught of sentimentalism with death at his elbow that all gets rather repetitive.

The book upon which this movie is based featured extensive flashback scenes. This is something that Boyle could have used more extensively to develop the character of Aron Ralston with more depth and empathy. Whilst Boyle does capture the tale of a young man’s struggle for life and the introspective transformation that follows, the film does, unfortunately, become tedious at times with its monotonous setting only occasionally punctuated by sentimentalism and shock.

127 Hours is a noteworthy cinematic achievement but I doubt it can compete with the highly intelligent The Social Network and the heartfelt King’s Speech in the Academy Awards around the corner, mostly due to its lack of solid plot. At only 93 minutes, however, its imaginative and harrowing build-up to the finale is masterfully executed, and will still keep you glued to your seat.