Starring: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn
OUR RATING: ★★★½
Story:
Bio-drama directed by Danny Boyle. Based on a true story, 127 Hours 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
Aron Ralston: Hey, Aron here. Leave a message.
Sonja Ralston: [voice message] 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.
Aron Ralston: [filming himself] 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!
Aron Ralston: [filming himself] Blue John Canyon. Guidebook says four and a half hours to the big drop propel, I aim to take forty five minutes off that.
Aron Ralston: Hey.
Megan: Woh.
Aron Ralston: You doing Blue John too, huh?
Kristi: No. Actually we’re headed for the Dome. But I think we’re lost.
Megan: She’s lost.
Aron Ralston: I could take you that way if you like.
[the girls look at each other]
Aron Ralston: Sorry. The Friday the 13th there, Child-Killer look. I’m only a psychopath on weekdays. And it’s Saturday, so.
[referring to his bandana]
Aron Ralston: I can’t take this off. It’s my face.
Aron Ralston: What do you say? You’re lost. I’m a guide. I’m good.
Megan: Why not.
Kristi: Sure.
Aron Ralston: Alright. This way.
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: 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!
Aron Ralston: Alright. 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.
Kristi, Megan: We climb.
Aron Ralston: And a bit of squeeze.
Kristi, Megan: We squeeze.
Kristi: [as they squeeze between the narrow walls] 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?
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.
Kristi: He’s fine!
Megan: He’s bad s**t!
[Aron hears Megan shouting from above]
Megan: You’re bad s**t!
Aron Ralston: Come on! You got to come down here! Trust me!
Kristi: Trust you? I’ll kill you Aron Ralston!
Megan: Oh, please! You love this!
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: F***! F***!
Kristi: Just jump!
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: 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?
Aron Ralston: Do I party? 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.
Megan: Bye! Scooby Doo!
Aron Ralston: Yeah! Rock on!
Megan: [referring to Aron] 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.
Aron Ralston: [after falling and trapping his right hand] This is insane!
Aron Ralston: Move this f***ing rock!
Aron Ralston: [filming himself] It’s 3:05 on Sunday, April twenty-seventh, two thousand three. 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. Whoever find this can keep the recorder, just please try and get in touch with my parents and give them this tape. I’d appreciate it. I was descending Blue John yesterday when this chuck stone came lose and rolled on to my arm. Now it’s stuck. And the thumb is kind of 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.
Aron Ralston: I’m in pretty deep doo-doo here.
Aron Ralston: [shouting] Hello! Please there’s someone down here! Help! I’m in the canyon! Help! Help! Help! Help!
Aron Ralston: Don’t lose it. Aron, do not lose it!
Aron Ralston: [filming himself] This is freaking me out looking at myself. Sorry, I hope that’s okay. It’s Monday. 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 static rack rope. Nine point eight mill. Three or four pulleys, a rack of carabiners, a sling, a power drill and a bolt kit. Oh, and eight burly men to do all the hauling. That should just about do it.
Aron Ralston: [filming himself] I have about a hundred and fifty milliliters of water left, which should keep me alive till tomorrow night, if I’m lucky. I peed twice. Almost pi**ed my pants. I don’t know, my body is acting really weird. Second time I did it in the Camelbak. Smells really bad, but 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.
Aron Ralston: [filming himself] 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.
Aron Ralston: Lesson, don’t buy the cheap, made-in-China multi-tool. I tried to find my Swiss Army knife, but…
[shakes his head]
Aron Ralston: This thing came free with a flashlight. Flashlight was a piece of s**t 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 Ralston: [filming himself] 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! Hey! Hi. Oh, gosh, it’s a real pleasure to be here. Thank you. Thank you. Hey, can I say hi to my mom and dad?
Aron Ralston: Hey, mom, I’m really sorry I didn’t answer the phone the other night. If I had I would have told you where I was going and then, well I probably wouldn’t be here right now.
Aron Ralston: [as host] That’s for sure! But like I always say, you’re supreme selfishness is our gain.