Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 24, 2016 0:12:12 GMT -5
3:10 to Yuma
Premiered September 7, 2007
Note: this review expands upon one I wrote in 2014.
The western is dead! Long live the western!
Sometime in the 1960s, the western was dubiously declared “dead.” And immediately, auteur directors started taking a stab at the genre. Since the glory days of Sam Peckinpah, I don’t think there’s been a single year in which some film wasn’t held up as a noble attempt to “bring back” the genre. 2007 was easily the apex of this phenomenon, with no fewer than four vying for critics and awards, and at least two more embracing elements of the genre.
3:10 to Yuma is the most traditional of the bunch. The second adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s story of the same name, it begins with poor Arizona rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale), whose horses are stolen by the ruthless Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) in an effort to rob a stagecoach belonging to the then-under construction Southern Pacific Railway. The railway forms a posse with Evans to capture Wade and get him on the titular prison train to Yuma. Meanwhile, Wade’s even more psychotic deputy Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) seeks to set him free– at any cost.
The relationship between Evans and Wade is an interesting one: Wade is a bad guy and he knows it, but he sees an honesty in Evans that makes him stand out from the amoral wasteland of the American west. Even if Wade gets on the train, he won’t be gone long, but he’s still willing to put on a show if only for Evans. But the real standout in the cast is Ben Foster. He’s been all over film and television, and he truly deserves to be better known; he’s our generation’s Joe Pesci.
All in all, while it pales in comparison to so many of the other movies coming out at this time, even the other westerns, 3:10 to Yuma is a decent film with some great performances, and you should definitely see them if you like the people involved.
Next Time: The Brothers Solomon
3:10 to Yuma is the most traditional of the bunch. The second adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s story of the same name, it begins with poor Arizona rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale), whose horses are stolen by the ruthless Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) in an effort to rob a stagecoach belonging to the then-under construction Southern Pacific Railway. The railway forms a posse with Evans to capture Wade and get him on the titular prison train to Yuma. Meanwhile, Wade’s even more psychotic deputy Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) seeks to set him free– at any cost.
The relationship between Evans and Wade is an interesting one: Wade is a bad guy and he knows it, but he sees an honesty in Evans that makes him stand out from the amoral wasteland of the American west. Even if Wade gets on the train, he won’t be gone long, but he’s still willing to put on a show if only for Evans. But the real standout in the cast is Ben Foster. He’s been all over film and television, and he truly deserves to be better known; he’s our generation’s Joe Pesci.
All in all, while it pales in comparison to so many of the other movies coming out at this time, even the other westerns, 3:10 to Yuma is a decent film with some great performances, and you should definitely see them if you like the people involved.
Next Time: The Brothers Solomon
