Danny Boyle has directed a number of different films ranging from the acclaimed “Slumdog Millionaire” to the fan-favorites “28 Days Later” and "Trainspotting."
His newest feature might be a hard one to watch for many because “127 Hours” has a rather shocking story that’s actually based on real-life events.
The movie stars James Franco as real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston, who got trapped in 2003 by a boulder that crushed his arm. After more than 5 days of trying to escape with no luck he had no choice but to cut off his arm to free himself.
With the exception of a couple of supporting characters like the two women hikers, and Lizzy Caplan as Ralton’s sister, it looks like “127 Hours” will be a one-man show much like “Cast Away."
This means it lands heavily on the shoulders of Franco to carry the film.
But I’ve been impressed with Franco ever since his days on “Freaks and Geeks.” He has improved since then with more recent performances in “Milk” and “Pineapple Express” (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe).
While the movie sounds interesting it does sound like a tough film to watch. And in an interview with Empire, even Danny Boyle agreed.
“We want it to be a challenge for you guys as well… to see if you can watch it," he said.
"127 Hours" opens in theaters on November 5, 2010.
UPDATE:
The film was recently shown at the Telluride Film Festival on Sept. 4 and according to THR caused "groans and squirming from the audience."
Two people required medical assistance during film screenings as an older man became light-headed and a young woman had a panic attack.
Other films have caused people to freak out during intense scenes (two good examples are "Pulp Fiction" and "The Exorcist"), so this is not uncommon.
Still, this goes to show that this will be an intense, but excellent, film to watch.
And a bonus - an interview with the man himself, Aron Ralston, discussing turning his incredible story into a film.
