Review of 3:10 to Yuma (2007) by Paul E — 12 Aug 2011

I was lent this film by a friend of mine. I had mixed hopes for this film as I, myself, wasn't really big on Westerns. The only Western I had the chance to see was Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This was brilliant. 10/10 for me. This was the mark which I would compare to this film.

This is a remake to the 1957 film. The film is set in the late-1800s, where infamous outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) roams the railroads. Due to misfortune, he gets captured, under the watchful eye of the escorting gang, with injured veteran Dan Evans (Christian Bale), they must escort the man who has the quickest hands and a loyal gang by his side to the 3:10 to Yuma.

Dan Evans is a under a mixture of emotions and stress. His ranch is going to be demolished for a railway, he owes a lot of people money, his barn has been burnt down. Oh yeah, he only has one leg too. This is a man who is like one of those cartoon characters with constant storm clouds above their heads. Just to give you a vivid description. His life takes another path as he volunteers to escort the outlaw, Ben Wade, to the 3:10 for $200. This is not as easy as it seems. Five men against One. Remember, this is The Ben Wade we're talking about. The quickest hands in the West, countless deaths to his name, and that fiendish gang of his...

Ben Wade is a nasty piece of work but someone who is well-spoken and reads the Bible for that matter. In the dinner scene, Dan Evan's wife is split after being enticed by his words. He is manipulative as well as remorseless. When asked whether he blew up a wagon full of prospectors, he answers, 'No, I lied', before boasting that it was a train full, but this is not all to Ben Wade. Yes, he is a remorseless killer, a highwayman, an outlaw but there are instances where he seems to ponder and think during chats with Dan. There are revelations at the end which answer all these questions. Russell Crowe takes this role amazingly, splaying out his casual remarks on killing people and the being the calm, collective killer. Christian Bale also delivers a fine performance.

Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) is a protégé of Ben Wade, a counterpart who has amazing loyalty to Wade though this isn't explained. He is also a dab hand at all this shooting lark and possesses the same characteristics of his master though maybe more sinister as first thought.

This is more a cat and mouse chase but lacks the suspense. This is probably the only bad thing for me. The cat and mouse chase isn't up to scratch as the suspense isn't built up. The action scenes are good but not anything special. The gunfights are not really gung-ho and the like owing to the fact that nobody really gets the chance as Ben Wade, Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) and Dan Evans shoot with amazing speed. With some more gunfights and wagon chasing, this would really be a great Western.

The setting was excellent, experiencing the cattle ranches, chinamen and towns. The barren landscape proved great settings for capturing wagons. It evoked the old spaghetti Westerns for their great sceneries and landscapes. The dialogue is excellent, with wit and casual talk between killer and his innocent escorts. James Mangold ( Walk The Line, Knight And Day), a director I've only come across recently, gives us a film built on loyalty and honour, which comes about during the explosive final 20 minutes. This film gives the audience what they want. Action sequences, gun fights, evocative landscapes, a glorious killer and an unlikely, one legged hero.

As Alfred Hitchcock once said, "the stronger the villain, the better the film." This applies to 3:10 to Yuma as Ben Wade sings mockingly, 'They're going to hang me tomorrow, I'll never see the Sun.'.