Starring: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn
OUR RATING: ★★★½
Story:
Bio-drama directed by Danny Boyle based on a true story that follows mountaineer and adventurer Aron Ralston (James Franco), who while exploring a remote canyon in Utah, becomes trapped when a boulder falls on his arm. Over the next five days, Ralston examines his life and considers his options, leading him to an agonizing choice: to amputate his arm so that he can extricate himself and try to make his way back to civilization or remain pinned to the canyon wall and likely die
Best Quotes (Total Quotes: 45)
[first lines; Aron’s phone rings and goes to answering machine]
Aron Ralston: Hey, Aron here. Leave a message.
[beep of answering machine goes off and we hear a voice message being left]
Sonja Ralston: Hey Aron, it’s Sonja here again. I knew that you’re probably going to be away this weekend, but listen just think about what we’re going to play, please. Cause we have to decide and we really need to practice, okay. Anyway, it will be fun. I promise. And oh, please call mom, please cause she worries, which you know already. Okay. Later, A. Bye.
[whilst he’s still driving Aron turn on his camera round to himself and starts recording]
Aron Ralston: Hey, it’s Friday night, April 25th, two thousand three. I’m just heading through Canyon lands. Just me, the music and the night. Love it!
[talking into his camera that’s mounted on the handlebars of his bicycle]
Aron Ralston: Blue John Canyon. Guidebook says four and a half hours to the big drop propel, I aim to take forty five minutes off that.
[he starts riding his bicycle again]
[Aron comes upon two girls during his tour of the Canyon]
Aron Ralston: Hey.
Megan: Whoa…
Aron Ralston: You doing Blue John too, huh?
Kristi: Uh, no. Actually we’re headed for the Dome. But I think we’re lost.
Megan: She’s lost.
Aron Ralston: Hang on.
[Aron scrambles down towards them]
Kristi: Oh my God.
Megan: God.
Aron Ralston: Let’s see this.
[he looks at their map]
Aron Ralston: You are here.
[pointing to the map]
Kristi: We are?
Aron Ralston: Hmmhmm.
Kristi: Oh yeah, yeah. I knew that! I knew that! I knew that!
Aron Ralston: And, and the Dome is there.
Kristi: Oh!
Aron Ralston: Umm, I could take you that way if you like.
[the girls look at each other not sure what to say, then he gets that he still has his bandanna on his face]
Aron Ralston: Sorry. The, uh, Friday the 13th there, Child-Killer look.
[he gets the bandanna off his face]
Aron Ralston: I’m only a psychopath on weekdays. And it’s Saturday, so…
[the girls still look apprehensive]
Aron Ralston: I can’t take this off. It’s my face.
[he sticks out his to introduce himself to the girls]
Aron Ralston: Aron.
[Kristi shakes his hand]
Kristi: Kristi. Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Megan.
[Megan shakes his hand]
Megan: Nice to meet you.
Aron Ralston: An honor.
[they laugh]
Aron Ralston: What do you say? You’re lost. I’m a guide. I’m good.
Megan: Why not.
Kristi: Sure.
Aron Ralston: All right. This way.
[whilst hiking]
Megan: So you biked from Horseshoe, huh? What is that like, twenty miles?
Aron Ralston: Seventeen on the odometer.
Megan: [teasing] Oh, oh. I thought it was seventeen point two?
Aron Ralston: Uh, seventeen point three, actually.
Megan: Ah, you’re one of those.
Aron Ralston: I’m not one of those.
Kristi: You spend a lot of time out here?
Aron Ralston: It’s my second home.
Aron Ralston: Ah, see? There’s the fork right there.
Kristi: Oh. Okay. I totally missed that. Glad we bumped into you.
Aron Ralston: Yeah.
Megan: Yeah. What are the odds, considering we’re all the way out here?
Aron Ralston: Exactly. You go to the one place in America you’re pretty much guaranteed not to run into a weirdo and what happens!
[he starts running towards the fork]
Aron Ralston: All right. So the guide book says that the rout’s through here, but I know a better way. The cool way. Guaranteed best time you can have with your clothes on. Although, it’s better with your clothes off. It is a bit of a climb.
[the girls reply in unison]
Kristi and Megan: We climb.
And a bit of squeeze.
[the girls reply in unison]
Kristi and Megan: We squeeze.
[whilst squeezing between the narrow walls of the fork]
Kristi: So you get us all the way back in here and then you tell us that you are not a guide.
Aron Ralston: Well, no. I’m an engineer. This is what I really want to do.
Megan: That’s wonderful. You know, I’ve always wanted to be a supermodel but I don’t think that’s actually really going to work out. You know?
[they all laugh]
Megan: Jesus! What if these things move?
Kristi: They’ve been here for millions of years. They’re not going to move!
Aron Ralston: Sure they will.
Megan: What?
Aron Ralston: Yeah. Everything’s moving all the time. But just hope not today.
Megan: Great!
[whilst they are lodged in between the narrow fork walls]
Aron Ralston: All right. Now, all you got to remember is that everything will be okay.
[he suddenly lets go of his hands and legs from the wall and drops down]
Kristi: Oh my God! Oh my God!
[Aron drops into the water below]
Megan: [shouting] Aron! Are you okay? Aron? Aron?
[he comes up through the water and stars singing]
[relieved they listen to Aron singing]
Kristi: He’s fine!
Megan: He’s bad shit!
[Aron hears Megan shouting from above]
Megan: You’re bad shit!
Aron Ralston: Come on! You got to come down here!
[we see the girls listening to Aron]
Aron Ralston: Trust me!
Kristi: Trust you? I’ll kill you Aron Ralston!
Megan: Oh, please! You love this!
[they laugh and Kristi suddenly lets of her hands and legs and drops down]
[shouting up to Megan]
Aron Ralston: Megan, you’re missing it!
Kristi: Come on! It’s amazing!
[we see Megan still holding on in between the narrow fork walls]
Megan: Fuck! Fuck!
Kristi: Just jump!
Megan: Fuck! Fuck!
Aron Ralston: Just jump, Megan!
Megan: Fuck!
[she suddenly lets go and drops down]
[whilst hiking through the canyon]
Aron Ralston: So, Blue John is named after this guy, Blue John who was Butch Cassidy’s cook. From you know, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Wild Bunch gang.
Kristi: Ah, that’s cool.
Megan: Yeah.
Aron Ralston: And they would hideout in these canyons, I guess. But also what they do is, they run horses, wild horses into here, and they trap ’em at the end of the canyon.
Kristi: Wow!
Megan: No way.
Aron Ralston: That’s how they’d catch the horses.
Aron Ralston: Well, will I ever see you again?
Megan: That depends. Do you party?
[the girls laugh]
Aron Ralston: Do I party? Uh, yeah, sometimes.
Megan: Okay. Tomorrow night we’re actually, seriously, throwing a party if you want to come.
Aron Ralston: Yeah.
Kristi: Yeah, you should come by and have a beer. Kick back.
Aron Ralston: Okay, where am I going?
Megan: Uh, it’s about twenty miles away, near Green River. You know the old motel, it’s behind that. There’s going to be a huge inflatable Scooby Doo. You can’t miss it.
Aron Ralston: Really?
Megan: Yeah.
Kristi: Yep.
Aron Ralston: Okay. Cool.
Megan: Okay.
Aron Ralston: It was good to meet ya. See ya.
[he turns and jogs away from them]
Megan: Bye! Scooby Doo!
[whilst jogging away]
Aron Ralston: Yeah! Rock on!
[referring to Aron after he’s left them]
Megan: Do you think he’s actually going to show up?
Kristi: I don’t think we figured in his day at all.
Megan: Oh!
Kristi: You liked him.
[they both laugh]
[after falling between the crack in surface of the canyon and trapping his right hand and trying desperately to free his hand]
Aron Ralston: This is insane!
[whilst trying desperately to move the rock to free his trapped hand]
Aron Ralston: Move this fucking rock!
[after realizing he’s drunk most of his water supply]
Aron Ralston: Should have saved it. Oh, God!
[he looks at his watch which shows time is 3.14, he looks above and starts shouting]
Aron Ralston: Kirsti! Megan! Kristi! It’s Aron! Megan! Kristi….
[camera pans out showing he’s fallen so far into the canyon slit that there would be no way anyone could hear him]
[talking into his camera for the first time after his fall and being trapped for 24 hours]
Aron Ralston: It’s three oh five on Sunday, April twenty seventh, two thousand three. Uh, this marks twenty fours hours of being stuck in Blue John Canyon, right where it slots up before the big drop. My name is Aron Ralston, my parents are Donna and Larry Ralston of Englewood, Colorado. Um..whoever find this can keep the recorder, uh, just please try and get in touch with my parents and give them this tape. I’d appreciate it. Uh, I was descending Blue John yesterday uh, when this uh, chuck stone came lose….
[he pans the camera towards the stone where his arm is trapped]
Aron Ralston: …and rolled on to my arm. Now it’s stuck. And the thumb is kinda of this grey, blue color. It’s been without circulation for twenty four hours. So I think it’s pretty well gone. I’m low on food.
[he shakes his water bottle in front of the camera]
Aron Ralston: Uh, that’s about three hundred, four hundred mill. And that’s it for water.
[he pauses and looks into the camera]
Aron Ralston: I’m in pretty deep doo-doo here.
[a shower of stones and dirt comes down on him from above]
Aron Ralston: [shouting] Hello! Please there’s someone down here! Help! I’m in the canyon! Help! Help! Help! Help!
[when he stops shouting all he can hear is his own voice echoing back to him]
[talking to himself]
Aron Ralston: Don’t lose it. Aron, do not lose it!
[he has flash back to when his mom left him a voice message as he was coming out of the shower]
Aron’s Mom: Aron, it’s mum. I was hoping to catch you. Are you there? Hello? Okay, nothing urgent. Dad’s in New York, so it’ll be a quite weekend. Call me, okay? Lots of love.
[he turns on his camera]
Aron Ralston: This is freaking me out looking at myself.
[he turns the small camera monitor away so he can’t see himself whilst recording]
Aron Ralston: Sorry, uh, I hope that’s okay. Uh, It’s Monday. Um, bummer, all day. I tried to set up this pulley all morning, but it didn’t work. It’s worth a try, but there’s too much friction and it’s a climbing rope, so there’s too much stretch. What I could really use is about twenty meters of uh…static rack rope. Nine point eight mill. Uh, three or four pulleys, a rack of carabiners, a sling, a power drill and a bolt kit. Oh and, uh, eight burly men to do all the hauling.
[smiling wryly into the camera]
Aron Ralston: That should just about do it.
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: I have, uh, about a hundred and fifty milliliters of water left, which should keep me alive till tomorrow night, if I’m lucky. I peed twice. Uh, almost pissed my pants. Um, I don’t know, my body is acting really weird. Second time I did it in the Camelbak. Smells really bad, but, um, I’m sure it’ll settle. It’s got to be chilled, like Sauvignon Blanc. No number two’s, which should disappoint my insect friends. They’ll just have to wait. Let’s see, what else could I tell you…
[he hears a raven above him]
Aron Ralston: [voice over] There’s this raven that comes every morning.
[he looks above into the sky where the raven is flying; to the raven]
Aron Ralston: Hey.
[he looks at his watch]
Aron Ralston: [voice over] I clocked it at eight seventeen. I’ll film it for you tomorrow.
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Every morning at nine thirty I get fifteen minutes of sunlight. It’s really nice. I’ve been chipping away, more to, more to keep going that anything. I’m beginning to think that my hand is supporting the rock. So when I chip away a little bit, it actually settles more. So, I found this great tourniquet.
[after attempting to use the tourniquet and the blade of his multi-tool to cut his trapped arm]
Aron Ralston: [voice over] It hasn’t been very useful.
[looks into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Lesson: don’t buy the cheap, made-in-China multi-tool. I tried to find my Swiss Army knife, but…
[he shakes his head]
Aron Ralston: This thing came free with a flashlight. Flashlight was a piece of shit too. I kept it in my truck for emergencies. Not that I’m blaming you mom. It was a perfectly great stocking stuffer. And there’s no way you could have ever known that I’d get in this kind of trouble.
[Aron is having flashback to an intimate moment with his girlfriend]
Rana: So how do I get in. What’s the um…
[to himself as he remembers]
Aron Ralston: Combination.
[we see his flashback again]
Rana: …you know, combination?
Aron Ralston: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
Rana: But already you kill me.
[she puts her hand down his body]
Rana: Combination. I think I have it.
[talking into his camera after waking up on his third morning of being trapped]
Aron Ralston: Good morning, everyone! It is seven o’clock here in Canyon land, USA. And this morning on the boulder we have a very special guest, self-proclaimed American Superhero, Aron Ralston! Let’s hear it for Aron!
[we hear applause from the studio audience]
Aron Ralston: Hey! Hi. Oh, gosh, it’s a real pleasure to be here. Thank you. Thank you. Um, hey, can I say hi to my mom and dad?
[Aron acting as host]
Aron Ralston: Mom and dad! Mustn’t forget mom and dad. Right, Aron?
[we hear studio audience laughter]
Aron Ralston: Yeah, that’s right. Uh, hey, mom, I’m really sorry I didn’t answer the phone the other night. Um…if I had I would have told you where I was going and then, well I probably wouldn’t be here right now.
[Aron acting as host]
Aron Ralston: That’s for sure! But like I always say, you’re supreme selfishness is our gain.
[Aron play acting as host of TV/Radio show]
Aron Ralston: Thank you, Aron. Anyone else you’d like to say hi to?
[Aron replies to his own question]
Aron Ralston: Um, well Brion at work.
[Brion pops up on a small screen]
Brion: Hi, Aron.
Aron Ralston: Uh…I probably won’t be making into work today.
[Aron acting as host laughs and we laughter of studio audience]
Aron Ralston: Get a load of this guy! Oh wait, hold on! We’ve got a question coming in from another Aron in Loser Canyon, Utah. Aron asks, am I right in thinking that even if Brion from work notifies the police to put a twenty four hour hold on it, before they file a missing persons report, which means you won’t become officially missing until mid-day Wednesday at the earliest?
[Aron replies to his own question]
Aron Ralston: Uh, yeah! You’re right on the money there, Aron.
[we hear audience laughter]
Aron Ralston: Which means, I’ll probably be dead by then.
[audience laughter is heard]
[Aron continues play acting as host of TV/Radio show into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Aron from Loser Canyon, Utah. How do you know so much?
[Aron replies to his own question]
Aron Ralston: Well, I tell you how I know so much. I volunteer for the rescue service. You see, I’m something of a, uh, well, a big fucking hard, hero. And I can do everything on my own. You see?
[Aron as the host replies]
Aron Ralston: I do see!
[audience laughter and applause is heard]
[Aron continues play acting as host of TV/Radio show into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Now, is it true that despite, or maybe because you’re a big fucking hard hero, you didn’t tell anyone where you were going?
[Aron replies to his own question]
Aron Ralston: Uh, yeah. That’s absolutely correct.
[Aron as the host]
Aron Ralston: Anyone?
[Aron replies to himself]
Aron Ralston: Anyone
[Aron as the host]
Aron Ralston: Oops!
[Aron as himself]
Aron Ralston: Oops
[looking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Mom. Dad. I just want to take this time to tell you that the times we spent together were awesome. And I have an appreciated you in my heart as I know that I could. Mom, I love you and I wished that I’d returned all you call, ever. I love you guys and I’ll always be with you. Yeah.
[he turns off his camera]
[after drinking some of his own urine for the first time after running out of water]
Aron Ralston: It’s no Slurpee.
[coughs]
Aron Ralston: I drank a bag of piss!
[Aron is having a flashback]
Rana: You don’t even want me here, do you? I’m going to go, Aron. Is that what you want? It is, isn’t it?
[she looks at Aron, he doesn’t reply. She gets up and leaves and we see they are at game in a stadium]
Rana: Okay.
[he whispers to himself whilst remembering]
Aron Ralston: Come back.
[we see the flashback again, Rana turns to Aron before leaving]
Rana: You’re going to be so lonely, Aron.
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: I’m holding on. Time’s moving really, really slowly. My heart’s beating really fast. I swear to God, it feels like, it feels like beating like three times as fast as it should be.
[we hear the beating of his heart getting louder and faster]
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Rana. I’m thinking about you, girl. I’m thinking about you, girl.
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: I know who I am. I try do to everything. No matter what it was, I tried.
[he sees his parent in front of him, sat on their living room couch]
Aron Ralston: What are you guys doing here?
[he sees his friends coming forward and gather around the couch his parents are sat on]
Aron Ralston: Eddie. Tom. Hey, guys. What’s going on? Eric.
[his family and friends are now gathered around his parent couch or sitting next to them]
Aron Ralston: You look like the Hole in the Wall Gang.
[they are all staring at him, he laughs]
Aron Ralston: Dorks.
[remembering his sister]
Aron Ralston: [voice over] Sis, I’m sorry that I won’t be at your wedding. I know that I promised to play, that we’d play. I’m sorry. I know it’ll be a good one.
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Eight fifteen, there’s no raven. Eight twenty, eight thirty, my raven didn’t come.
[talking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: You know, I’ve been thinking, everything is just comes together. It’s me. I chose this. I chose all of this. This rock, this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. It’s entire life. Ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago. There, in space. It’s been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I’ve been moving towards it my whole life. The minute I was born, every breath I’ve taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface.
[after he’s cut his arm off and freed himself, he looks up to thank God]
Aron Ralston: Thank you.
[looking into his camera]
Aron Ralston: Mom. Dad. I just want to take this time to tell you that the times we spent together were awesome. And I have an appreciated you in my heart as I know that I could. Mom, I love you and I wished that I’d returned all you call, ever. I love you guys and I’ll always be with you. Yeah.
[he turns off his camera]
[the figures in the distance hear his shouts and turn and run towards him]
Aron Ralston: My name is Aron Ralston, is Aron Ralston. On Saturday I was trapped by a boulder. I’ve been without food or water for five days. This morning I cut my arm off, this morning I cut my arm off. Please, some water.
[the woman gives him her flask of water]
Aron Ralston: Thank you.
[he takes it and starts pouring it into his mouth, drinking]
[last lines]
Aron Ralston: You got a phone?
Eric Meijer: Yes, but no signal. You should stop and rest.
Aron Ralston: No. I got to keep going. I want you to run, I want you to run ahead.
Total Quotes: 45