Overview
A gripping tale of survival against all odds, where one man's determination is put to the ultimate test.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- propulsive
- introspective
- intense movie night
- survival film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed Danny Boyle’s visually exuberant direction and James Franco’s mesmerizing performance in a gut-wrenching yet inspirational survival drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Aron’s confinement forces him to revisit his isolation from friends, lovers, and family while fighting to remain alive.
Danny Boyle uses energetic editing, split attention, memory imagery, and heightened visual flourishes to render Aron’s interior experience.
Trapped beneath a boulder, Aron must use engineering knowledge, endurance, and improvised tools without outside assistance.
The story’s five-day ordeal unfolds in an isolated Utah canyon where the terrain blocks escape and rescue.
Films like 127 Hours, and why
All Is Lost
shared survival drama, extreme isolation, bodily peril, and psychologically intense performance
The Revenant
shared true-story survival ordeal, wilderness setting, and resilient protagonist confronting nature
Buried
shared claustrophobic survival thriller, moral endurance, and escalating physical danger
Wild
shared biographical adventure drama, visually expressive direction, and transformational ordeal
Movie Details
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Release Date
- 2010-11-12
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (8316)
Cast
- James Franco
- Kate Mara
- Amber Tamblyn
- Clémence Poésy
- Lizzy Caplan
- Kate Burton
- Treat Williams
- Sean Bott
- Fenton Quinn
- John Lawrence
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is 127 Hours about?
- A trapped canyoneer turns an unbearable five-day ordeal into a fierce test of ingenuity, memory, and the will to live.
- What is 127 Hours like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of 127 Hours as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is 127 Hours violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in 127 Hours as graphic.
- What did critics think of 127 Hours?
- Critics broadly acclaimed Danny Boyle’s visually exuberant direction and James Franco’s mesmerizing performance in a gut-wrenching yet inspirational survival drama.
- Which films are like 127 Hours?
- Films with a similar feel include All Is Lost, The Revenant, Buried, and Wild.
- How long is 127 Hours?
- 127 Hours runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch 127 Hours?
- In United States, 127 Hours streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
