16 Years Later, Prime Video’s Best Survival Thriller of All Time Still Beats Heart of the Beast

While Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast has brought survival thriller back into cinemas, Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours remains at the top of the pyramid in the genre. Danny Boyle’s 2010 thriller starred James Franco and was based on canyoner Aron Ralston’s real-life experience. Even after 16 years, the film still beats the competition.

Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast arrives with real advantages: movie-star wattage, a heroic dog and a Fury reunion. Yet side by side, Boyle’s film still hits much harder and lasts far longer than Paramount’s well-reviewed wilderness drama. 127 Hours is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

How 127 Hours Holds Up Against Heart of the Beast

James Franco in 127 Hours | Credits: Fox Searchlight Pictures

While Brad Pitt’s survival thriller has a lot of resources put into it and has the star power of the F1 man himself, Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours stands out because of what it did with so little. It was just one actor, one location, and a runtime of 94 minutes, as we feel the claustrophobia the main character feels. It is still the same genre, but with wildly different treatments.

Pitt’s retired Green Beret must hike 58 miles through the Alaskan wilderness after a mid-air heart attack and a plane crash, facing a grizzly bear and a pack of wolves, while traveling with a dog. It is a solid structure, but it is an episodic one, moving from obstacle to obstacle rather than tightening around a single idea. It is thrilling but predictable and in motion.

127 Hours, on the other hand, does not need these external things. Sure, there are flashbacks, but it is all in service to what the main character is feeling. There are other craft-related experiments Boyle does. There are hallucinatory sequences as Aron is trapped between the boulders, and the use of split screens is masterful.

Critically, 127 Hours fared better again, scoring 93% on the Tomatometer and 85% on the Popcornmeter (via RT). Heart of the Beast has not impressed critics as much as Danny Boyle’s film, as it scored 85%. However, audiences seemed to have taken more to Brad Pitt’s survival thriller, with a 94% score (via RT).

Brad Pitt’s Survival Movie Had to Fight Against Marvel at the Box Office

Brad Pitt in Heart of the Beast | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, earned a total of $60.7 million in its lifetime (via Box Office Mojo), which is pretty good for its $18 million budget. The film also received multiple Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Actor. For Boyle, who was fresh off his Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, it was a great streak.

Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast might beat 127 Hours’ overall collection in a few days, as it has already collected over $54.5 million (via The Numbers). Of course, it has Brad Pitt’s star power bringing the numbers to it, but even he had to compete with some bigger forces, which might have hampered a larger first-week gross for the film.

The film was released along with Avengers: Endgame Encore, which proved to be a huge hit and ranked at the top of the box office. The film earned $86 million in its opening weekend. This, along with Resident Evil’s continued success, put Heart of the Beast in third place. If it were not for these two films, Brad Pitt’s film might have fared better.

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