It was a Saturday in late April. Aron Ralston, an engineer and canyoneering/climbing enthusiast, traveled to Robbers Roost, an area in southeastern Utah with treacherous terrain. Ralston, an über-confident lone wolf, told no one where he was going. Following a fall, he became trapped in Robbers Roost's maze of canyons, his right arm pinned under a boulder. Five agonizing days later, Ralston, dehydrated, exhausted, unable to dislodge the 800-pound boulder, and near death, chose to use a multitool's dull, small blade to amputate his arm. He survived and became an icon. He was interviewed on most major television shows and penned a bestselling memoir. Now Aron Ralston's imprisonment and escape by way of brutal sacrifice has been made into an exciting and uplifting film by one of the finest living directors, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire).
As Ralston, James Franco gives a career-defining performance. He's shown significant comedic and dramatic prowess before, but never has he had a role this complex. He is the audience's emotional and physical guide. He has to capture Ralston's absent-minded, devil-may-care attitude in the first act, followed by his realization of the severe predicament he's in and his rebirth. It's an enormous challenge, one which Franco meets head-on. Ralston's real-life decision to film confessional videos and messages to his loved ones during the five-day period he was trapped is a gift to Franco; in these scenes, the actor plays braggadocio and denial giving way to despair, regret, and then resolve to perfection.
Though the film belongs, as it should, to Franco, an ensemble cast with several recognizable faces is also used well. They are often glimpsed in hallucinations and memories. Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour in the "Potter" franchise, as well as Colin Farrell's love interest in In Bruges) is most haunting as an ex-girlfriend Ralston regrets letting go.
Boyle's direction is, of course, top-notch. He is a director who seems to invest a great deal of passion, style, and thought into each project. He has also made nuanced and poignant films with harsh subjects, including heroin and, oh, raging zombies, and is therefore well suited to this frightening (true) material. With a pair of cinematographers, including the brilliant Anthony Dod Mantle (Dogville, The Last King of Scotland), the director is able to turn an immobile character in a limited space into a diverse, enthralling cinematic experience. Are his methods often over-the-top? Yes. There's even a shot from inside a water bottle. But Boyle's directorial decisions, no matter how outlandish, are never distracting, nor do they ever lapse into kitsch. They coalesce into a convincing, stylish whole. This is yet another example of Boyle ignoring the rules, refusing to "grow old" as a director, and finding new, quirky ways to tell a story. He also continues to prove he has fantastic taste in music. For example, Sigur Rós' nine-minute "Festival" is put to excellent use (the hairs on your arm will stand up).
This is one of the year's best films. There have been reports of people fainting during the amputation sequence. It indeed pulls no punches. Yet I didn't feel disgusted; this is not an Eli Roth film set in the desert, and the violence is not intended as low-brow horror. It is survival, a decision to live. It's beautiful and challenging, as is this film.
I just saw 127 Hours! 2nd best film I've seen this year. It was touching, intense, thrilling, a wonderful score, bits of comic relief, and just one of a kind. James Franco gives the performance of his career. 10/10!
Anyone this sounds good to should definitely watch the semidocumentary Touching the Void. It is about two mountain climbers who get into the situation that no one wants, one of them falls and the other one in order to survive has to cut him loose, however the guy who falls survives with broken legs and has to find a way out. It is a true story also and a great semi doc.
This movie sounds great too.
I agree with you.
To be very honestly, I haven't watched it yet but I have heard about this movie from my college friends. BUt I will definitely watch it.
It's kind of a letdown from the director of Millions and Slumdog Millionaire. It lacked the charm and passion of those movies. I would have much rather watched a documentary of this event. I just could not get into this movie. It was like watching the movie Buried. Good performance from James Franco just as Ryan Reynolds was in Buried, but not much going on story-wise. Both were trapped and trying to get out. I was getting anxious watching it. 3/5
Saw this today and wow! So, so amazing! This is easily my favorite movie of the year! Boyle and Franco absolutely knocked it out of the park. This is seriously just a very well done movie and Franco absolutely holds the movie up on his shoulders. With very little dialog his character absolutely shines and he knocks the role out of the park.
[Show spoiler]The whole scene where he's having the mental breakdown and hallucinations was incredibly intense and he played it so well. It all leads to him cutting off his arm which really did knock me mentally and was pretty damn hard to watch, but in a good way
I was invested the whole time and I really want to see it again already! I loved this movie and I will be buying day one for sure!
5/5
Last edited by Walts Ghost; 12-06-2010 at 06:15 AM.
Saw this today and wow! So, so amazing! This is easily my favorite movie of the year! Boyle and Franco absolutely knocked it out of the park. This is seriously just a very well done movie and Franco absolutely holds the movie up on his shoulders. With very little dialog his character absolutely shines and he knocks the role out of the park.
[Show spoiler]The whole scene where he's having the mental breakdown and hallucinations was incredibly intense and he played it so well. It all leads to him cutting off his arm which really did knock me mentally and was pretty damn hard to watch, but in a good way
I was invested the whole time and I really want to see it again already! I loved this movie and I will be buying day one for sure!
5/5
Wow! You're easily impressed! I wish I liked it as much as you did. And I miss your previous avatar already.
Wow! You're easily impressed! I wish I liked it as much as you did. And I miss your previous avatar already.
I love small indie flicks like this, so for me it's right up my ally. I always thought this story was interesting, so it was definitely cool watching it play out on screen to me. It really was just an insanely good movie to me. And don't worry, Captain Mal will return, just not sure when. I change from time to time lol.
Edit: Decided to bring Mal back for a little while, some people were already missing it too much
Last edited by Walts Ghost; 12-06-2010 at 08:32 AM.
I love small indie flicks like this, so for me it's right up my ally. I always thought this story was interesting, so it was definitely cool watching it play out on screen to me. It really was just an insanely good movie to me. And don't worry, Captain Mal will return, just not sure when. I change from time to time lol.
Edit: Decided to bring Mal back for a little while, some people were already missing it too much
Hehe. I'm glad I'm not the only one who misses it. It's become your trademark. I love indie flicks, too. Did you see Buried? No flashbacks on that one, so you feel trapped with him confined in a box. Even worse scenario. Black Swan just opened this past weekend here but I couldn't make it to the theaters. I'll check it out soon. The Hurt Locker was my top movie last year and I've yet to see a film this year that compares to it.
Hehe. I'm glad I'm not the only one who misses it. It's become your trademark. I love indie flicks, too. Did you see Buried? No flashbacks on that one, so you feel trapped with him confined in a box. Even worse scenario. Black Swan just opened this past weekend here but I couldn't make it to the theaters. I'll check it out soon. The Hurt Locker was my top movie last year and I've yet to see a film this year that compares to it.
I'm definitely gonna go see Black Swan when it opens here I have a little indie theater about a half hour from my house that plays a lot of these movies. I didn't get to see Buried unfortunately, but I really wanted to I actually really want to see The King's Speech as well
Haha it really had become my trademark. I may be Captain Reynolds forever now
Now that's why I call a struggle. Trying to find any random thing wrong with the movie, that ends up being little nit picks about camera shots, editing and a song that ruins a moment.
"The Dark Knight sucked because of the lighting and lack of ANY black and white scenes"
This will probably be my movie of 2011.....
If I can look past the unrealistic texture of the rocks : P
Now that's why I call a struggle. Trying to find any random thing wrong with the movie, that ends up being little nit picks about camera shots, editing and a song that ruins a moment.
"The Dark Knight sucked because of the lighting and lack of ANY black and white scenes"
How is it nitpicking? You don't think shots, editing and a score are vital parts of a film? Seriously?
How is it nitpicking? You don't think shots, editing and a score are vital parts of a film? Seriously?
Of course they are, but these complaints seem to having nothing that is actualy bad, just things he for some reason can't stand. Like "straw camera", what negative effect is that having or those 2 sound effects.
Everyone has said this is the shit, then this one guy comes along and his complaints aren't story/character/setting/acting. They are random little things you could call any movie out on.
I'm just puzzled, unless he is doing some film course in Uni or is just simply an armchair filmaker, why these tiny things. The guy just seems like he is looking for anything he can.
"Inception sucked, the buildings in the limbo looked so out of place and cheap."
Of course they are, but these complaints seem to having nothing that is actualy bad, just things he for some reason can't stand. Like "straw camera", what negative effect is that having or those 2 sound effects.
It's not what I can't stand, it's what benefits the story. It's similar to many of Tony Scott's work this past decade, and his aesthetic definitely was distracting in several of those films. Boyle does all these camera tricks because there is no depth here. It's not like Into The Wild where there was a lot of material that led him to do what he did, this guy was just arrogant and got stuck.
My complaints are that not only are they uninteresting, it takes away from the film, and the gravity of the situation. Seeing a shot of urine gush through a straw, from the inside of the straw, is completely juvenile and unnecessary. If Eli Roth had done so I doubt people would be so forgiving of it.
Incredible film, very few films that are based off "Incredible True Story" come across all that incredible. This is the king of that, from an amazing portrayal from James Franco, to the style of which really makes you question what we do think are basic necessities and what we really live for. You feel the trauma and ordeal he goes through and you really see how desperate you would get. Very few films come across as life-changing, and while I don't think my life has been changed by it, it comes extremely close and it did make me question what I would do in such situation (Short answer, I probably wouldn't be able to cut off my own arm, no).
It only had a few problems, A few moments are a bit over stylised (we didn't need the operation beep for when he was snapping his nerve really).
It's hard to decide whether to give it a 10/10 or a 9.5/10, it was a ordeal to watch, and causes a lot of stress and distress while watching, which is why I'm torn. It's a bad and good thing, It shows how well made it is, making you really feel and emphasis with him, but I never really felt like I was in the film, the more stressed I got, the more it pushed me out of the film, after all, throughout it, you know what's going to happen, it's just a question of when (the film plays with this quite a bit)
P.S. I was sat with the worst audience ever, all they did was laugh because James Franco looked constipated in some scenes and all they did was talk, some lady actually stood up ad said SHIT UP, YOU PISSING EVERYONE OFF WHO'S TRYING TO WATCH THE FILM.
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I actually really want to see The King's Speech as well 
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