127 Hours

127 Hours is the extraordinary true story of Aron Ralston who when canyoneering alone in Utah became trapped under a boulder, and had to resort to unthinkable and extreme measures to free himself and survive. Now if one man trapped in a canyon for over an hour doesn't seem like your ideal watch don't be deterred  just yet as taking the reins is non other than award winning director Danny Boyle, and boy does he do a good job with this one.

This film though would be nothing without a great leading actor and this comes in the form of James Franco. Who provides us with a flawless performance with both emotion and humour and encapsulates Aron's will to live with his impeccable acting skills.

The film opens with Aron collecting his equipment ready to head on out into the wilderness. Then we see him on his bicycle riding through Blue John Canyon in Utah. This is where Boyle and his team first come into there own with split screen views and shots from the front of the bike looking back at Aron, which make this a very good sequence. Aron then falls and just laughs at himself taking a picture and the getting on his way. Before he gets stuck he meets two girls in the form of Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn and he offers to show them around taking them to an underground lake and after fooling around for a little while and going for a swim he then again goes on his way.

Shortly after leaving the two girls whilst descending down a tight canyon a boulder becomes dislodged falling on Aron trapping his right arm. It is here in this claustrophobic situation trapped and alone with no contact to the outside world that Boyle's directorial skills and Franco's immense acting really come into their own. Aron used a camcorder to record his turmoil and release some of his inner demons. An interview with himself being one of my highlights as it is both comedic and dramatic. Boyle uses a camcorder effect on the film which makes the viewer feel like they are there in the canyon with Aron, Boyle also again uses split screen to its full potential for hallucination scenes as Aron becomes dehydrated, the split screen keeping us in the canyon at all times. Franco provides us with a sterling performance in all aspects of emotion that Ralston must have gone through, including the graphic scene where Aron proceeds to cut off his arm with a blunt knife, ultimately freeing himself and avoiding a much worse fate, proving that there truly is 'no force on earth more powerful than the will to live'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlhLOWTnVoQ&feature=feedlik