Movie Review: 127 Hours

127 Hours
(R16), 110 minutes, 3/5
127 Hours is a strong film which still doesn't quite hit the mark.
Chronicling the true-life ordeal of mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) - who amputated his own arm to save himself after a boulder trapped him in a remote Utah canyon - this is the sort of film which would best suit a sober, grim treatment, reflecting the perilous situation which Ralston finds himself in.
However, in the hands of director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and, most famously, Slumdog Millionaire), Ralston's story ends up drenched in a mess of split screens, garish soundtrack music and "quirky" camera angles which almost seem to exist solely for the sake of trying to be creative.
It's a shame, because there's more than enough in Ralston's story to make for an entertaining and occasionally gripping film, without the need to resort to gimmickry.
The title 127 Hours obviously references the length of time Ralston was trapped in the remote canyon in 2003, having not told anyone where he was heading and relying on meagre supplies of water to survive, all the while recording his ordeal on a video camera he was carrying with him.
It's easy enough to see what Boyle was trying to achieve.
Through increasing use of flashbacks, the viewer is taken inside Ralston's mind as he desperately searches for a way out of his predicament, coupled with the usual emotion-tinged memories of family and loved ones, as he contemplates the very real prospect of never seeing them again.
Franco does an excellent job as Ralston, who himself has commented that 127 Hours almost serves as a documentary, such is its accuracy and attention to detail.
That may be so - it certainly makes for an engrossing film.
However, that's mainly because of the visceral quality of the storyline, and the sad reality is that in the hands of a director other than Boyle, 127 Hours may have had even more impact.
Ralston's story of survival makes for a strong film - but it could have been better, and for that reason, 127 Hours ranks as something of an unfortunate missed opportunity.