The human spirit can lift us from some very challenging circumstances. The will to live can be so strong that it leads us to doing drastic things that are otherwise unfathomable. The film 127 Hours examines this, through the true life story of Aron Ralston, a brash young hiker who got his arm stuck between a large boulder and a rock wall. After one hundred and twenty seven hours, he decides to cut his arm off in order to save his life.

The film, starring James Franco as Ralston and directed by Danny Boyle, is mesmerizing. The vibrant Utah landscape is filmed beautifully; the film is filled with visual treats of the rock formations and mountains. At the beginning of the film, Franco stumbles upon two girls who are lost hiking in the region. He becomes their guide, and leads them to a secret underground pond. At this point, it is clear that Ralston has a connection to nature, and that we, as the audience, should be just as amazed by it, too.

This is all a prelude to the accident, a part of the film that was anticipated but still shocking. The next hour or so of the film is primarily completely Franco, him alone on the screen.

This is the difficult part of the film. Ralston has a natural charisma that is endearing, and it’s difficult to see him struggle to release himself from the boulder. The audience, in turn, becomes a part of the struggle, where we yearn and beg for his release to finally get free.

This film would not be as entertaining if not for the presence of Franco, one of the great young actors in Hollywood today. There is just something appealing about the way Franco carries himself, and he plays Ralston as a charming, arrogant mountaineer marvelously. Franco carried this movie for the majority of the time. He talks with himself and yells in frustration. A majority of the dialogue is grunts of frustration. At one point he films himself on his digital camera as a fake talk show host, simultaneously hilarious and deeply depressing. 

This is Boyle’s first film since his Oscar-winning turn at the helm for Slumdog Millionaire. 127 hours was an intriguing follow up to the Indian fairy-tale romance, but both share one quality. They are great examinations into the power of the human spirit. Slumdog Millionaire is about love, 127 hours is about the will to live.

127 Hours is an excellent film. It will hit you hard and make you thankful that you have all your extremities.