Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

127 Hours
2010
***½
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Clémence Poésy, Lizzy Caplan, Kate Burton, Treat Williams

The harrowing true story of Aron Ralston who went canyoneering in the Blue John Canyon in 2003, fell down a crevasse and got his right arm trapped between a boulder and the canyon wall. This intimate human drama is built around James Franco's strong performance, which brilliantly conveys the humbling of a cocky daredevil. Luckily Ralston doesn't lose his courage during his five-day ordeal. This is a static story but Danny Boyle fills the screen with his trademark flashy visuals, either to echo the hero's deteriorating mental state or simply to take us away from the confined setting. His film doesn't shy away from the harrowing details either. Based on Ralston's book Between a Rock and a Hard Place.