Cinema Snark: 127 Hours

Huzzah for laziness. I'm behind on my reviews and it's been two weeks since I saw this, so this entry is going to be necessarily brief. I'm kinda regretting making a big deal out of the whole "HELL NO I WON'T MAKE ONE ENTRY FOR TWO MOVIES" thing I did last time, because now I have three movies to review and I actually do have a lot to say about The Rite (which I saw last night and actually isn't as godawful as most reviewers would have you believe). But I gave my word (needlessly hyperbolic and snark-laden though it might have been), and so yes, I'm going to make a separate entry for each movie, dammit.

So! Onward.

127 Hours has been nominated for an impressive 6 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. That should tell you a lot of what you need to know up front: i.e., it's really damn good. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I mean that in the best way possible.

As you probably already know, the movie is the story of Aron Ralston, the unbelievably badass mountain climber who amputated his own arm when it was trapped between a boulder and a wall of rock, and then had his missing hand replaced with a fucking climbing axe so he could keep doing what had cost him his forearm in the first place. This man could go toe-to-toe with Mucius Scaevola in a "World's Biggest Balls" competition, and the matter would probably have to be settled with a left-handed arm wrestling match. (Too soon?)

Incredible as the actual story is, though, this could easily have been a boring and repetitive movie. I mean, let's face it: the main plot of the movie consists of a single person trapped in a single place for days on end. It's not a long movie--it clocks in at 94 minutes--but the fact that it remains visually and emotionally engaging the entire time speaks volumes about the quality of the script, the direction, and the lead performance by James Franco. The movie switches back and forth between bleak reality and colorful surrealist flashes, just as Ralston alternates between full awareness of his situation and dreaming/hallucination. There are a number of moments which blur those lines, as well, such as when Ralston interviews himself as if he were on a late night talk show (complete with laughter from an imagined audience), but is clearly aware that no one knows where he is and that help is not on its way. It's gallows humor at its blackest, and yet it still manages to elicit laughter from the audience, because by that point everyone in the theater is desperate to laugh at something.

Director Danny Boyle (who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Beaufoy) does an excellent job, adding another solid film to an impressively varied resume (his previous films include Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later, to give you an idea). He makes the most of the beautiful landscape (especially at the beginning), making you wish you could be out there with Ralston, even though you know he'll be hacking his own arm off at some point within the next 90 minutes. He knows how to make the most of extreme environments, letting the open spaces appear grand and majestic while making the fissure where Ralston is trapped a claustrophobic man's nightmare. Still, despite the obvious space limitations, Boyle manages to find add variety and visual flair to the story, even when the protagonist isn't hallucinating.

James Franco definitely deserves his Oscar nomination. He plays Ralston with the relaxed charm that infuses most of his roles, making him likable and adventurous (if occasionally irresponsible). I love the way he lets his hands trail across the walls of the fissures when he's exploring; it really makes it clear just how much he loves what he does, and how comfortable he is in that environment. As soon as the boulder pins his arm, though, we see him go through an incredible range of emotions: shock, panic, anger, fear, depression, and eventually desperation. Most of his dialogue is delivered to the camcorder he has with him; he's pretty sure that he's going to die, and just hopes that someone will find the recording and send it to his family. It's heavy stuff, and even the most lighthearted moments are full of nearly palpable despair. The material is both excellent and unforgiving, and it takes a damn fine actor to pull it off. My respect for Mr. Franco has grown immensely; maybe now I can forget his role in Spider-Man 3.

[EDIT: I have been reminded that Mr. Franco was also one of the best parts of The Green Hornet, in his uncredited appearance as Crystal Clear, a nightclub owner/meth dealer who gets blown up by Christoph Waltz. Another reason to love him!]

All in all, it's an amazing story, but it probably won't win Best Picture--from the early buzz, the favorites for that race seem to be The King's Speech and The Social Network (which I'm still kicking myself for missing in theaters). I'd highly recommend it, although it might not be the best movie choice for a first date.

(Unless you're me.)