127 Hours (2010)
88%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 6 Oscars
23 wins & 150 nominations total
As gut-wrenching as it is inspirational, 127 Hours unites one of Danny Boyle’s most beautifully exuberant directorial efforts with a terrific performance from James Franco
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster, 127 Hours is the one for you. James Franco’s performance is so good, you’ll forget you’re watching a movie and feel like you’re stuck in that canyon with him. Just make sure you have a strong stomach, because there are some moments that might make you want to look away. But if you can handle it, you’ll be rewarded with an inspiring story of survival and a newfound appreciation for having two arms.
Production Company(ies)
HBO Documentary Films, Jigsaw Productions, Sky Atlantic
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Moab, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):English, Italian
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 28, 2011 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring James Franco, directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, produced by Christian Colson, John Smithson, MPAA rating R, box office gross $18.3M, biography, drama, mountaineer, adventurer, trapped, boulder, amputate, arm, canyon, Utah, exploration, survival, inspiration, gut-wrenching, exuberant, terrific performance, critic reviews, audience score, Tomatometer, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Kaleem Aftab, Candice Frederick, Bill Goodykoontz, David Stratton, James McMahon, Jason Adams, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Leigh Paatsch, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clémence Poésy, Treat Williams, Kate Burton, Aron Ralston, Megan, Kristi, Rana, Aron’s Dad, Aron’s Mom, Fox Searchlight, SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
Worldwide gross: $60,738,797
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $79,962,497
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,133
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,720,011
US/Canada gross: $18,335,230
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $24,138,291
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,349
US/Canada opening weekend: $264,851
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $348,676
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,488
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $23,696,962
Production budget ranking: 1,272
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,760,814
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $43,504,721
ROI to date (est.): 119%
ROI ranking: 858
Amber Tamblyn – Megan
Kate Mara – Kristi
Clémence Poésy – Rana
Treat Williams – Aron’s Dad
Kate Burton – Aron’s Mom
Director(s)
Danny Boyle
Writer(s)
Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle
Producer(s)
Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, John Smithson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 6 Oscars
23 wins & 150 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (237) | Top Critics (63) | Fresh (220) | Rotten (17)
This may be a great film, and an ingenious film, but only if you’ve the stomach for it.
August 30, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
Any film that relies on one actor to carry the movie demands a lot of its leading man but James Franco applies a youthful exuberance that makes him so watchable it’s all viewers could do not to blink.
May 15, 2018
Kaleem Aftab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Franco… delivers a solid performance as the strapping climber who shows his vulnerability when he reflects back on his life–the mistakes he’s made and the moments he may miss.
September 11, 2017 | Rating: B
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
It’s an incredible performance by Franco, walking the line between what once was enthusiasm but now is manic desperation.
August 12, 2011 | Rating: 4.5/5
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
As a follow-up to Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours shows Danny Boyle at the top of his form — it’s not a story many filmmakers would want to tackle, and few would handle it as well.
February 10, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
That director Danny Boyle makes us feel the shock of relief as Ralston finally pulls away from his stony prison signals just how immersive a piece of first-person story-telling this is.
February 9, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Boyle made what we all came to experience retain a sense of horrible surprise. You know Ralston survives, you know he gets the arm off, and yet those final few minutes of the film really truly got me.
July 2, 2021
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
You’ll laugh, you’ll barf, you’ll probably be a bit bored in places. But if you can make it through all this you’ll find a film that’ll probably make your heart skip a beat too.
May 25, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
James McMahon
NME
There are some creative visual tricks and a little ingenuity, but five days of being stuck in a canyon doesn’t translate well to a 90-minute film.
November 29, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A good film featuring a truly great performance.
September 18, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
An inspired and inspiring cinema experience.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
127 Hours is a classic, albeit internalized, adventure story juiced up with Boyle’s attention-deficit-disorder camera work, which renders the world a pop-music fueled, caffeinated frenzy, as hallucinatory as any drug trip.
January 22, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper…
Plot
127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises James Franco’s “terrific performance” in 127 Hours.
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