The Revelator

If I was filmmaker, Danny Boyle would be the man I would try to emulate. I’ve been a fan of his ever since I watched Trainspotting, and 28 Days Later. His visual style is always something to behold, and it lends itself beautifully to his latest film, 127 Hours, starring James Franco.

127 Hours is based on the true story of a mountain climber named Aron Ralston and his struggle to survive being trapped by a boulder in a canyon in Utah. To make a film like this entertaining and visually stimulating is not an easy task, but Danny Boyle manages to pull it off. The majority of the film consists of James Franco being stuck in a canyon, but due to clever camera tricks and brilliant editing, I was always entertained. So much so, that it makes me wonder how Danny Boyle comes up with his choices of camera angles. The man is obviously on something, or he has ADHD.

James Franco is also the main reason this movie works so well. He has come into his own as an actor over the years, and without a doubt delivers his best performance to date. He plays a very likable character in the movie and I found that I was quickly invested in his character’ well being. It was impressive to his character go through such a range of emotions throughout his ordeal.

If you never heard the story of Aron Ralston, you might want to stop reading because this next bit might spoil things for you…

What this man did to survive is unbelievable, and I have no doubt in my mind that I would have have died in this situation. The scene where he does the deed is painful to watch. It is not as gruesome as you might think, but is effective none the less. There is one specific sound effect that made me cringe when I heard it. So much so, that it perfectly encapsulates the pain that this man must have gone through at the time. You might think that knowing the true story might ruin the movie for you but it doesn’t. The movie is so effective that a part of you still hopes he’ll find another way to get out of this mess.

Overall this is one of the best movies of the year and deserves a lot of praise. Its a true testament to how far a man is willing to go to survive.