3:10 to Yuma

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 11, 2007

Dear God,

Thanks.

Please please please let this be the return of the Western.  I’m not greedy, I don’t want 3 Westerns a year.  Hell, I’d settle for 1 good Western film every year.  Two would be fine as well.  Hopefully this year will see two, though we’ve already got at least one in 3:10 to Yuma.  There is a lot of hype surrounding this and I don’t buy into hype.  But I do buy into poker games and fine movies.

This movie is not flawless and it wasn’t perfect, in my opinion, but it is pretty fantastic, a nice return to the genre, and it features some great acting and some surprise cameos.  Our story follows down on his luck rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) as fate intervenes and entwines him with noted outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe).   Soon Evans is helping to escort Wade to the town of Contention, aiming to put him on a train for Yuma, to be hanged.  But Wade won’t go without some witty words and a few violent actions, not to mention that his bloodthirsty gang is on the trail to free their ensnared boss.  What follows is a fantastic bit of character to study on two men, one a downtrodden man changing towards hero and the other a heartless bastard looking for an equal, not another follower.

The performances are awesome.  Bale has a little less to work with character wise, but creates such an honest and believable person its hard not to love him.  Crowe gets a lot of leg room and works it well, proving that beyond the drama and attitude he still is one of the best actors currently working.  I was shocked and awed at Peter Fonda’s cut-throat bounty hunter Byron McElroy.  While he doesn’t get a ton of screen time, if he got the nod for Best Supporting Actor I would say “Good choice.”  Of course, we can’t forget Ben Foster.  While he has some forgettable roles (Hostage) and some lame movies (X-Men 3), I generally enjoy his work and characters.  This is no exception.  He creates a vicious killer that is at all times loyal, crazy, and in awe of Ben Wade.  Really some nice character work here, I enjoyed his performance very much.  Surprise cameo by Luke Wilson was played a little for laughs, but I liked it.

The direction and writing are both spot on, good bits of action, some nice surprises, and some crowd pleasing dialog.  Pretty much everything about this movie was spot on, even for non-Western fans.  And did I mention the score?  No I know I didn’t, I checked, but it is amazing.  I’ve been listening to it for about 24 straight hours and let me say that  Marco Beltrami perfectly captured all that is a Western theme and yet managed to make it new and fresh.  Make no mistake, it sounds like a Western theme, and the guitar picking is evocative of other great themes, but never does it come across as imitative.  Love it!

In short, I really dug this movie.  I liked it more the second day just thinking about it then the first.  It is one of those movies that grow on you.  I can’t wait for a second viewing.  I recommend it!

The Upside: Great acting, beautiful scenery, and it’s a WESTERN and a good one at that.

The Downside: The only downside I saw involves a spoiler, so I won’t mention it.

On the Side: Tom Cruise was in the running for the role of Ben Wade.  No offense Tom, but I’m glad we went with Russell.  He plays a great bad guy.  Though, Tom, if you want to do a Western, I would see it.

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