**** - The story of Aron Ralston – known the world over as the guy who hacked his own arm off with a dull knife after being trapped under a rock during a mountain climbing trip – is admittedly a pretty spectacular one. This 2010 reconstruction of those events - and those leading up to them – is helmed ably by the generally reliable Danny Boyle in a manner that is a seamless blend of documentary and adventure yarn. The Oscar-nominated drama’s very realistic and matter-of-fact presentation work very well in its favor for the most part, although those qualities do also provide the film with the only reasons that I docked it a couple points in my rating: the rather gruesome and explicit scenes of flesh hacking and urine drinking. It takes some excellent film-making skills in order to present a story that is pretty well known but allow it to remain suspenseful enough to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. It certainly did so for me, despite the fact that I know that snapping bones, spurting blood and a full life still lay ahead for the main character. I guess not everyone will have that same reaction, but if nothing else, this film should at least serve as a cautionary tale for all you carefree, extreme sporting, thrill-seekers out there. It’s okay to go out and seek your thrills and whatnot, but make sure you take the proper preparatory precautions or you could end up with a stump for an arm and a hook for a hand like this guy. Wise words.
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