127 Hours is a strange movie in that you know exactly what's going to happen, but that doesn't take away from the drama. Probably because the pivotal scene is so horrific to imagine, let alone realize, that you spend the entire movie waiting for it.
Aron Ralston is an outdoorsy loner who seems to revel in self-reliance. He goes out to the canyons of Utah, alone, without telling anyone where he's going. He even meets a couple of beautiful hikers while he's out. Instead of staying with them as your average man would, he leaves them to once again venture off on his own. Shortly after that he gets trapped in a crevice with his hand stuck under an immovable boulder.
That's just the first 15 minutes.
The next 60 minutes is Ralston, stuck, trying to get out, talking to his camera, and hallucinating. When the movie was being promoted, there was all this talk about "how do you make one man stuck alone watchable?" My immediate response was "flashbacks and hallucinations." Of course I was right, so what's the big deal?
Doesn't mean the movie isn't good, just feel a little deceived. People were too impressed by how this came out interesting, similar to the response to The Social Network. It's pretty easy to make these things interesting: make shit up. That's exactly what was done in both cases. In 127 Hours, they at least keep it believable.
Another scene where I felt deceived is the arm-cutting. I'd heard some people downplay this scene. Let me tell you, it's short (less than 5 minutes) but it's pretty damn gruesome. There's a lot of blood, a man digging a dull knife into his arm AFTER he's completely broken his bones, and plenty of Ralston screaming in agony.
After the arm cutting, the movie is pretty boring. We know he lives, so all the silent, slow detail of him getting out of the desert lacks drama for me.
Everything about the movie is good, particularly the beautiful shots of Utah, but it's another case where I see no need to watch it again. Oscar worthy? Sure, if Castaway was deserving, there's no reason to treat 127 Hours differently.
First Viewing: 3+2+3+3+2 = 13