127 Hours

Last night we went to see "The King's Speech" for which Colin Firth won a Golden Globe for best actor. But it was full. So, rather than go home, we opted to watch a film that neither of us had much interest in seeing; "127 Hours", directed by Danny Boyle (of "Slum-dog Millionaire").

Most of the audience were young, single males who are into extreme sports but don't do laundry. 'A bit whiffy.

A half-hearted start to our evening was made worse by 25 minutes of very loud adverts and trailers for atrocious films. 2011 looks like a good year to get a gym membership or something.

The first half hour of the movie was too loud and the rapid cuts and edits made the film seem like the background to a DJ's mixing stage at a trendy night club. 'Not my scene and I was ready to quit. I put tissues in my ears to dampen the din, but to limited effect. I didn't take to the adrenalin-junkie lead character so couldn't wait for him to come to a sticky end.

But I stayed and I'm glad I did. Like "Open Water" and that film about the guy who fell down a crevasse, (was it called "Cut the Rope"?) you start off thinking "It serves them right," but this one in particular gets beyond that. Over the days spent stuck in Arizona's tight Blue John Canyon, pinned by a fallen rock, we learn the back- story of this nerdy, isolate canyoneer and begin to understand his need to prove himself to excess, filming and photographing every moment, with the camera mostly pointing at himself.

It's an arty film too, and once I got over the brashness, I thought the style suited the subject well. It reminds me of "Slumdog" in that way.

Your'e going to ask about the gruesome bit where he cuts his own arm off to escape. Is it watchable? You will have to find out for yourself. I won't be ordering a hot-dog with ketchup for a while though.

I was keen to watch the credits at the end to see who did the music and where it was shot. These must have been the shortest credits outside of Youtube. There is almost no-one in it, or even in the crew, so I guess it was cheap to make as well. I'm all for that. Four Stars.