“127 Hours,” starring James Franco as Aron Ralston, the rock climber who amputated his own forearm during a climbing accident, would have worked better as an HBO Special. As a feature film, it’s underwhelming. There’s simply not enough content. Even the title is thin.The accident occurs about 20 minutes into the film, and Ralston frees himself only at the tail end of the movie. So for the vast majority of the screen time, we’re down at the bottom of the canyon with Ralston, watching him conserve water, talk to his video camera, urinate, try to chip away at the boulder, etc. It holds one’s interest but is not exactly captivating cinema. Ralston’s realizations in the cave are also not particularly revelatory. He realizes that his parents mean a lot to him, as an example, and that he wishes he had a girlfriend. One would have thought that something more profound would have happened to him down there as he felt the winds of death approach.
It’s a bit surprising that a filmmaker as talented and successful as Danny Boyle would be attracted to this material. He seems too big for it. “Slumdog Millionaire" (2008) was such a global smash and such a magnet for awards, including the Best Picture Oscar, that I suspect Boyle was able to take on just about any project he wanted afterward. Yet he chose something as small as “127 Hours.” Puzzling. Perhaps he was contractually committed to "127 Hours" before "Slumdog" became such a sensation?
Also surprising was the choice of Franco for the lead. When one actor occupies 99% of the screen time, most of the time on his own, you need an actor of uncommon power. Franco is perfectly competent, but he doesn’t have the power to give you goose bumps. He simply cannot cut deeply enough. Pardon the pun. A better choice might have been Cillian Murphy, an actor whom Boyle himself discovered. (Murphy played the lead in Boyle's 2002 horror film, "28 Days Later.")
“127 Hours” is an engaging entertainment that is satisfying but not memorable. Boyle should be taking on more challenging projects than this and working with more powerful actors.
2 comments:
Franco sucks. Your right.
I definitely do not think Franco "sucks." He's a solid actor who has lately made very interesting and courageous artistic choices. He played a very gay Allen Ginsberg in "Howl" earlier this year, a bold choice for a young male movie star. He seems to be developing serious artistic interests, in much the same way Heath Ledger did. I just haven't seen signs that Franco is developing Ledger's acting talent. Not yet at least.
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