Everyone’s got a cocky side about something, a skill in which they’re a little too confident about their abilities and are sure they can do no wrong. For Aron Ralston, that confidence covered his outdoor adventuring skills, and it almost caused his death.
That’s because he went deep into the desert to engage in a day of rock climbing, without leaving a note with his family or friends to tell him where he was going to be. Ralston was absolutely certain he was going to make it back without a scratch, that he never imagined what happened to him instead: a giant boulder fell and landed on one of his arms, pinning it literally between a rock and a hard place and forcing him to fight for his survival for more than five days before finally deciding to amputate the limb as his only hope of breaking away and being discovered.
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That harrowing decision is the most attention-getting aspect of the new film “127 Hours,” resulting in a graphic three-minute sequence in which star James Franco, playing Ralston, cuts through layers of skin, muscle, nerves and bone. While this scene is hardly exploitative and is leavened by cutting away (no pun intended) to reaction shots and flashbacks, it has earned the film some notoriety from reported faintings at screenings nationwide.
But if you could handle a rough episode of “ER,” you’re likely able to handle this, and the rewards for those who do see this remarkable film are plentiful. Resting squarely on the shoulders of Franco in a brave and unique performance that draws on actual handheld-camera footage Ralston made during his ordeal in the hopes that rescuers could someday show his family his final thoughts, the movie actually is much deeper than a medical freak show.
It is a deeply spiritual and, strangely enough, highly uplifting story of a man who strips away the self-absorption that is so epidemic in our current society and comes to appreciate what he feels he is about to lose: his family, his girlfriend, and ultimately the son he is destined to have someday. Using powerful flashbacks and flash-forwards that at times incorporate real people from the real-life Ralston’s actual life, “127 Hours” creates an unforgettable message of forgiveness, redemption and the importance of establishing lasting and loving ties with those around us.
Franco’s brave performance – which basically covers the famed five stages of death as he approaches what by all rights should be his demise – carries easily 80 percent of the film. Yet his charisma and sweeping emotional range, combined with the film’s ability to tackle universal issues in a deeply personal fashion, make this film compelling throughout and could make it a rare Oscar contender that’s completely devoid of sucker punches.
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