Thursday, 6 January 2011

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Holly Arnold

127 Hours - not for the faint-hearted!

You'll need a strong stomach to watch Danny Boyle's latest film

TM & copyright 20th Century Fox

Danny Boyle, director of the much-loved Slumdog Millionaire, is back with the true story of climber Aron Ralston.

Aron's story is pretty well known but if you are unfamiliar with it: He was trekking alone when he became trapped in a canyon - miles away from any form of help.

Now it won't take anything away from the experience of the film by knowing that to escape his situation, Aron had to cut of his own arm - with a blunt knife - this is where the strong stomach will come in handy!

For a film that is based around one man stuck in one place, 127 is surprisingly energetic and suspenseful (mainly because you are waiting with baited breath until the inevitable arm-hacking begins!)

Danny Boyle takes what could've been a frankly dry story and makes it come alive with clever cinematography and jump-out-and-grab you music, which sucks you into the emotion of the scene whether you like it or not.

And for a man so foolhardy as Aron (he went off alone and didn't tell anyone where he was going) James Franco does an amazing job of portraying him in a sympathetic light. From cocky to panicked to hallucinating and gravely staring death in the face, James captures the intensity of the situation perfectly - especially the climatic sequence, which thanks to his realistic performance is all the more harrowing.

Now, lets talk about that scene. It has to be one of the most shocking things I have ever seen in the cinema. I knew exactly what was coming - I'd read enough articles about people fainting in the cinema to expect the worst - despite this it still shocked.

Perfectly acted, perfectly directed and with the music reaching a crazed fever pitch - that scene did more to scare a cinema audience in 5 minutes than any of the torture-porn tricks the entire Saw franchise has put out.

It's a tough ride but it's definitely worth it.

127 Hours in in cinemas Friday 7 January 2011.