Call off the dogs, because as far as I'm concerned, 127 Hours is the movie of the year. Granted, I haven't seen Inception or The Black Swan yet, but those movies are going to have to get out in the driveway and detail my car in order to impress and rock my soul as hard as Danny Boyle's latest piece of astonishing craftsmanship.
Adapting the true story of Aron Ralston into a feature film was a pretty audacious idea -- which is maybe why Danny Boyle is the perfect choice to take this journey. This is easily Boyle's best move since 28 Days Later -- and I loved Slumdog Millionaire. But this story clearly inspired the hell out of Boyle. More likely awed him. Once you've seen it you'll understand why. The filmmaking on display here is immediate, immersive and totally compelling. At a furious 93 minutes, 127 Hours is a master class in economy, editing and use of sound. Much ink has been spilt about the intensity of being a witness to what Ralston decided he had to do. If that is even remotely keeping you on the fence about seeing this, please believe that the "violence" here is in no way extreme or sensationalized. Given what happened and the courage Aron Ralson found, it's note perfect. Everything serves telling this story in a realistic way, even the brushes with fantasy and delerium that begin to take their toll after the five longest days a man ever endured.
But it would all fall apart and the illusion would turn to powder if it weren't for the phenomenal central performance of James Franco. Gone forever is any reference to "that good looking James Dean guy from Spider-man." Franco will need mantle space very soon, as this is such a mature, open, exposed performance. There's no star puffery, no BS -- it's all real, every facet of man's emotional extremes laid bare -- hubris, ego, terror, tenacity, madness, love...belief -- there are pieces of Aron Ralston we can all relate to, even if we've never climbed anything but a staircase. Franco does superb work here and will now be stealing scripts away from Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
If you love filmmaking, if you love bravery, if extreme stories of survival such as Into Thin Air or The Endurance have ever captured your imagination... you miss this film at your peril. It's the best movie I've seen this year, hands down and I'll be rooting like hell for it come Oscar time.
But when you do see this picture, don't go alone, and if you do...please leave somebody a note.
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