127 Hours is an incredible journey. What would you do if you came face-to-face with death?

127 Hours is the story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who after becoming trapped under a rock for five days (I’m going to talk openly about the plot details of the film. You probably know the story, but if you don’t, please stop reading and just watch the movie. Also, let us know in the comments what you think of it after being surprised.), cuts off his own arm in order to survive. Aron’s journey is intense, brutal, and deep.

The film is an incredible showcase for James Franco’s acting chops, just as Buried was for Ryan Reynolds. This is a one-man show, and he delivers. Aron goes through an extraordinary ordeal, and we are there with him the entire time. After a brief section of adventure in the beginning, including a meeting with two other hikers, Aron falls and gets his right arm pinned under a boulder in the middle of a tiny crevasse. This is the setting for the film, and we stay with Aron as he cries out for help, longs for companionship, and desperately tries to free himself. Considering that Aron is the only character for the vast majority of the film, there is very little dialogue. I’ve said this before in other reviews, but I really believe that the mark of a great actor is what they do without dialogue, and James Franco really shines here. His expressions, body language, and cries all fit within his character and serve to flesh him out on screen. His predicament confines the action to a tiny space, which Franco makes his own.

This confinement naturally plays a huge role in the film. And although we are trapped with Aron, the movie never has a dull moment. Even when there are no new developments, the tension remains as we, just like our main character, yearn for freedom. There is something about human nature that predisposes us to the desire to be free. People hate being trapped, whether it is under a rock, in prison, or at their day job. This serves the purpose of the movie well. The audience really comes to care for him and becomes invested in the outcome. And even though most viewers know he gets out okay, the tension remains.

In addition to the wonderful performance from James Franco, the cinematography is also incredible. The opening sequences are breathtakingly gorgeous, but the tone shifts tremendously when Aron is trapped. From then on, the filmmakers primarily used small digital cameras that allow us to get right in the canyon with him. Again, this feeling of being trapped with him is vital to the film. Other cameras, including a consumer-end digital camera were also utilized for the scenes during which Aron leaves video messages to his friends and family, revealing his deepest feelings. The triptychs displayed in the movie are very interesting. Quite often during the film, the screen is split into three parts, each showing a different angle on the action. Very few movies take this kind of risk, and while it feels weird, these effects ultimately have a good result, adding movement to otherwise stationary action.

The climax of the movie, the amputation scene, is perfect. Without words, you know he is going to do it and then you cringe as Aron painfully cuts away at his arm. The scene is indebted to Tony Gardner, whose incredible practical makeup effects don’t give away that what you’re watching is not real.

Danny Boyle yet again proves that he is not confined to any particular genre, or even style. The film is directed well, and his strong visual style shows through in what could have easily been a dull film to watch. But more importantly are the emotions. 127 Hours gets you extremely involved in its main character and by the end of the film everyone in the audience is dying for him to make it out alive. The joy that Aron feels after escaping is accurately transmitted through the movie, which is an incredible feat.

Therein lies the core of the film – in the heart and mind of Aron Ralston. During the course of the film he is placed in a life-or-death situation and is rocked to the core. He goes from being a self-sufficient adventurer to one of us normal people. After being knocked down, he must pick himself up. These emotional and thoughtful elements of the film really form the backbone for the action and provide the audience something grasp hold of.

127 Hours is raw, visceral, and emotionally satisfying. Danny Boyle has taken an extraordinary experience and told it through great visuals, while James Franco keeps you invested in his character. All of the elements combine to make this an entertaining, deep, moving adventure.

Atomic Popcorn had the chance to partner up for a promo screening of 127 HOURS, the new film from director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and starring James Franco, and we couldn’t pass on it.  The film synopsis is below, and you can view the trailer at: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/127hours/.

Make sure you are there early for this one!!

Synopsis:

127 HOURS is the new film from Danny Boyle, the Academy Award winning director of 2009’s Best Picture, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. 127 HOURS is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.  Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued.  Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clémence Poésy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident.  Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?  A visceral thrilling story that will take an audience on a never before experienced journey and prove what we can do when we choose life.

Trailer:

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Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire) is hard at work preparing for his next film, 127 Hours. Hours is the true story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who amputated his own arm after being pinned by a boulder for almost five days. Shooting is set to begin shortly based on a script by Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy and James Franco in the lead.

Obviously this is a tricky story to turn into a film. The story is inspirational, yes, but not very cinematic per se. I mean, it’s one guy, trapped by a rock. It’s been done before (Buried, which premiered at Sundance this year, is set to be released September 24th.) and I’m really excited to see what Boyle does with it. So, what do we know right now?

First of all, there isn’t going to be any internal monologue or voiceover. Boyle has stated that the first hour of the film will be entirely devoid of dialogue. Now, the real-life Alston recorded six or seven video messages during the time in which he had no hope. This will probably be the main way of communicating his thoughts on his impending demise.

That being said, today Collider reported that Lizzy Caplan has been cast in the film. She plays Ralston’s sister and appears as a hallucination. Now we know what direction this movie will be heading. So, for the first hour or so, we’ll be with Ralston as he hikes, meets two fellow travelers, and is trapped by a large boulder. After a while of struggling, he records videos for his loved ones. My best guess is that as he starts to lose his mind he begins to hallucinate and eventually decides to do the unthinkable (e.g. chop his own arm off) to save his own life.

Another interesting tidbit about the film is Boyle’s choice to use two cinematographers. Because the movie has so few characters, he has chosen two very different cinematographers – Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak.

This is looking like a very interesting film. I can’t wait to see what Boyle does with it and whether Franco has the acting chops to hold a film on his own. 127 Hours starts shooting shortly and is set to be released late this year by Fox Searchlight. I would not be surprised if this movie were a serious contender, come awards season.

A couple days ago, we brought to you the news that Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle had signed on for his next project, 127 Hours, a film that will tell the true-life story of Aron Ralston, the mountain climber who spent 5 days trapped by a boulder before finally amputating his own arm.

One big detail of how Boyle will shoot the film has now been revealed, and it’s a fairly daring move on Boyle’s part.

Boyle plans to keep the movie as realistic as possible, which means shooting the first hour entirely free of dialogue, since Ralston was completely alone while trapped. Unlike Castaway, which also followed a character stranded by themselves, 127 Hours will not give the actor cast as Ralston any external monologue or prop to talk to.

Because the first hour will consist of a solitary character and no speaking, it will be a challenging role for whoever is cast in the part. Facial expressions, sighs and moans, and other physical acting will have to be spot on.

The film currently has no budget, or even the official go-ahead, but Simon Beaufoy, writer of Boyle’s award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, is attached to write the screenplay. Boyle hopes to start shooting 127 Hours in March, to be released by Fox Searchlight by the end of next year.

Director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire) has found his next project with Fox Searchlight: 127 Hours, which will tell the true story of mountaineer Aron Ralston.

Simon Beaufoy, the screenwriter who won the Oscar for Slumdog, will take over writing duties for the film. Variety has the scoop on just what is so dynamic about Ralston’s story:

“Ralston’s right forearm got pinned for nearly five days under a boulder during a climb in Utah in May 2003. He used a dull knife to amputate the limb, then scaled a 65-foot sheer wall and hiked out before running into a family that gave him water and food. He was finally rescued by helicopter.”

I remember that happening, and remember thinking it was pretty horrifying. But enough material for a feature film? Well, if anyone can pull it off, it would be Boyle.

The casting process has begun for Ralston, who will be alone for most of the running time of the film. You can expect to see 127 Hours in late 2010.