127 Hours

Danny Boyle and A R Rahman team up again after Slumdog Millionaire, for the movie 127 hours which stars James Franco, Spiderman's cute friend-turned-foe, in the lead. The reviews promised that the movie would be gripping and very realistic and that decided it for us.

The movie starts with Aaron (Franco), leaving at dawn for a weekend of mountain climbing. His passion for mountain climbing is very evident right from the beginning. As he starts walking towards the remote trail, he notices two young women trekkers who have lost their way. He shows them the right way after they overcome their initial distrust. He then shows them a hidden water body. They have some harmless fun together and Aaron is attracted towards the girls but he is ready to leave as he still wants to complete his trail. Within 15 minutes, the girls are left far behind, he enthusiastically climbs down when a small boulder moves and his right hand is caught between the boulder and the wall. He is unable to move his hand and yells out the names of the girls but they are too far away. He is totally imprisoned for 127 hours (5 days) at that isolated canyon and the rest of the story is regarding his fight for survival.

What I liked 'bout the movie

• Simple story. The movie starts off in a fast-paced manner. During the course of the movie, the pace slows down, stops and then picks up speed. The movie's pace matches the mood of Franco.
• Realistic. Sometimes too realistic and quite painful. Franco's performance was fantastic - worth a watch.
• "This rock has been waiting for me my entire life.. I have been moving towards it my entire life." - I quite liked this dialogue for its karmic connection.

Verdict: 3 Stars