Review of 3:10 to Yuma (2007) by Shane M — 28 Jan 2014

A great remake to a great classic. The second adaptation of Elmore Leonard's short story "Three-Ten to Yuma" and remade from the 1957 classic of the same name, the film follows Dan Evans, a one-legged rancher struggling with money and under the threat of losing his land, takes the offer to bring gang leader Ben Wade to Yuma Prison on the 3:10 train.

The film follows most of the events of the original, with some major and minor additions and changes, including one of Dan's boys a young man who surprisingly tags on the dangerous journey, and is a good shot, and changing some of the ending, but is still a great modern Western.

The worthwhile new additions are grit, and more and ramped up action that though it can change pace sometimes, but the pace remains even throughout. The film has smart writing from Halsted Welles (who wrote the original), Michael Brandt, and Derek Haas, which is brought to life by James Mangold's smart direction.

The film measures up to and surpasses the original thanks to the additions and changes, as well as amazing performances, especially Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, and even Logan Lerman, who had a bigger role than I expected, and even though he was starting, he is convincing enough to carry a portion of the picture.

This film also focuses how the events affect the characters, nailing the execution. This is a must-see remake that shows that even changes can still make this a modern classic, another example being the True Grit remake.