The audience lost their minds in the cinema! But this inspiring true story is worth the challenge

Spoilers – Warning, the article below contains potential spoilers. If you do not want to know its contents, please do not read the following…

27-year-old Aaron Ralston is a young climber who does not shy away from any challenge. Daring and a thrill seeker, he has been traveling the wilds of the American West for several years, climbing mountains, hitting steep trails, tackling the highest peaks.

On April 26, 2003, he left the apartment without warning anyone and began a new excursion in the canyons of Utah. His project: to explore the Blue John Canyon, located in the middle of the desert, dozens of kilometers from any civilization. But while walking on a narrow crevasse, he fell on a huge rock and his right hand was caught between the wall and the stone.

A prisoner of the canyon, Aron must try to free himself with the means at hand. According to his methodical inventory, he has a GoPro camera, a half-full water bottle, a climbing rope, a dull penknife… and an extremely difficult decision to make.

Two years after his excellent Slumdog Millionaire and his shower of awards (8 Oscars in 2009), Danny Boyle returns with another incredible story. This time he decides to focus on the real accident of Aaron Ralston and make his autobiography. Stronger than a rockPublished in 2004.

The British filmmaker adds an ordinary touch to the extraordinary adventure of a young mountaineer. With cutscenes, split-screen fast editing, frenetic music and brilliant staging ideas, it makes 127 hours a real adrenaline injection.

With the virtuosity of the director and the talent of the lead actor (James Franco, in an Oscar-nominated performance), this film with an effervescent rhythm that could have been tinged with energy drinks takes us on a journey. Ralston’s unforgettable sequence, especially the effort and one that shocked many viewers.

(Can you find the clock in these movies?)

Indeed, after 6 days and 5 nights trying to escape from the rock, Aron faces the facts: his only solution is to amputate his arm. With his penknife and tourniquet, he methodically performed the gruesome operation.

The famous scene, which spares its audience absolutely nothing and which goes on for quite a long time, did not leave the public indifferent and even caused several hasty departures from the cinema (as reported by Fox News in 2010).

However, if you feel you are up for the challenge, we recommend you try the adventure. Because beyond its aesthetic qualities and somewhat bloody conclusion, 127 Hours is a true lesson in endurance, tenacity and courage, a race to the death that will have you fighting for your survival… and your life.

(Re)discover our interview with Danny Boyle…