If you're not a fan of James Franco, you might want to steer clear of 127 Hours since he's pretty much the only character on screen throughout the duration of the film. Based on a true story and directed by Danny Boyle, it tells a minimal plot with a surprising amount of flair and invention. Franco plays Aron Ralston, an outdoors enthusiast who sets out on his bike for a day's canyoneering. While negotiating the precarious precipices he slips and falls into a canyon, dislodging a trapped boulder which falls onto him, trapping his arm beneath it. Realising no one can hear him calling for help, he uses a pocket knife to try and chip away at the boulder, and as time passes it dawns on him he might not make it out alive. Of course he does (the title obviously gives away the length of his ordeal) but paying a huge price in the process. Boyle makes the most of the claustrophobic location and its contrast to the vast surrounding environment, and 127 Hours features some imaginative cinematography. Franco holds the film together with a delicate, low-key performance, while the gut-wrenching close up limb-severing finale is something to be seen (or not, if you're particularly squeamish).
