In the opening scenes of Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours,” we see Aron Ralston, played by James Franco, skirting boulders and energetically biking through a picturesque southwestern landscape. He stops a pair of inexperienced female climbers with devilish abandon and takes them on a climb “off of the trail.” Squeezing through a tight crevasse that drops seemingly into an endless abyss, he flashes them an arrogant smile and plunges into the darkness below. This is the essence of Aron Ralston: a daredevil climber and athlete– until his arm gets stuck under a boulder, trapping him alone in a canyon.
One of the most brilliant moments of the film is when Ralston becomes trapped: instead of a powerfully dramatic build-up to that moment, the rocks under him simply give way, causing him to fall. The accident is sudden, surprising and terrifyingly real. And as we watch Ralston’s previous confidence slowly fade into realization of his plight, the real character of the film begins to emerge.
Ultimately, “127 Hours” is a character study into what one man will do in order to survive. A film based solely upon one climber trapped in a remote canyon has the potential to become sluggish and claustrophobic, but “127 Hours” never feels this way. The action, and Ralston’s various attempts to free himself, are divided up by various flashbacks and dreams. These provide much of the insight into his life and flesh him out as a person, as well as provide the chance for some trippy and occasionally amusing moments, especially after he begins to dehydrate. If these dreams and memories provide the film with some more variety and lush imagery, the actual time Ralston spent in the canyon is grippingly real.
A significant amount of the film is shot as if through Aron’s hand-held camera. This footage is painstakingly attentive to detail, especially with the the survival techniques and the effects of dehydration and loneliness on the mind and body. With the sheer variety of production styles and moods, “127 Hours” feels big, even though it’s the story of a single human life.