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Movie Review - 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
James Mangold |
| Starring: |
Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, and Gretchen Mol |
| Rated: |
R (for violence and some language) |
| Length: |
117 minutes |
| Genre: |
Western |
| Tagline: |
Time waits for one man |
| Studio: |
Lionsgate Films |
| Website: |
3:10 to Yuma |
| Release: |
September 7, 2007 |
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PLOT
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In Arizona in the late 1800s, infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) and his vicious gang of thieves and murderers have plagued the Southern Railroad. When Wade is
captured, Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Bale), struggling to survive on his drought-plagued ranch, volunteers to deliver him alive to the "3:10 to Yuma", a train
that will take the killer to trial. On the trail, Evans and Wade, each from very different worlds, begin to earn each other's respect. But with Wade's outfit on
their trail - and dangers at every turn - the mission soon becomes a violent, impossible journey toward each man's destiny. The best theatrically released Western
since Tombstone ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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It's a story of sacrifice. Of redemption. A tale of one man's effort to give his son an example worth following. Many are those who start down the path of
decency, but who will persevere? Dan Evans is tired of the way his kids look at him and tired of the way his wife doesn't. He has goals and dreams, like anybody
else, but he's determined to make an honest living, even if, as Ben Wade points out, it's not much of an actual living. But to Evans, he needs to do more than
just save his ranch. He has to save his image as it appears in his family's eyes. The best way to do that is for his son to remember, no matter what happens, that
his old man walked Ben Wade to the train when nobody else would.
I could spend all day concocting adjectives and metaphors to describe my enjoyment of this movie, but all that really needs to be said is 3:10 to Yuma is
a fantastic film. The Western is my favorite genre, and it's frustrating that Hollywood has neglected it so much in the last couple of decades. Yuma,
like Tombstone before it, represents the possibilities that exist within the genre, and I only hope it serves as a catalyst for more.
As of this writing, I've already seen it twice, and I enjoyed it even more the second time. It's not often a movie gives me goosebumps. It's extremely rare for
a film to give me goosebumps a second time, during the same scenes, when I already know what's going to happen. My first viewing was filled with anticipation. The
second consisted mostly of appreciation. I suggest you see it once for the story then see it again to catch the details.
Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are brilliant, portraying their characters in multiple dimensions and various shades of gray. Crowe's Ben Wade is typically
the type of outlaw you would love to hate, except he's so complex that he forces you to understand his mindset. He's dangerous, yet glamorous at the same time.
Yes, he robs trains, he kills people, and he fronts a viciously rotten group of men, but he lives by a code. He's not a ruthless killer bent on destruction;
he's an educated, calculating mastermind who recognizes that it's man's nature to take what he wants. And though he lives by a completely different life
philosophy than Bale's Dan Evans, he still honors that for which Dan stands.
After starting off with a bang, the pace slows a bit to develop the characters and the story, but these characters are so deep, and the interaction between Bale
and Crowe is so satisfying, that I never once found myself wanting more gunfights or shootouts or wild explosions. Don't worry though; old-fashioned Western violence
abounds. The story development serves to create a simmering tension that absolutely explodes in the final 10 minutes and will leave your teeth clenched and your face
pinched. But gunfire is not really the focus. The film's soul exists in its characters and the situations surrounding them. Keep a close eye on Ben Foster as well.
Serving as Ben Wade's wild-eyed second in command, he's as remorseless as Wade is deliberate.
Take time to truly absorb the film. Listen closely to Marco Beltrami's score. Listen intently to dialogue between Bale and Crowe. Pay attention to Evans'
struggle and his desire to be a hero in his son's eyes. And, I can't say much without spoiling things, but listen closely to the sound of the train at the end.
Like I said earlier, catch the details. This is a film that thrills when it's loud, it fascinates when it simmers, and it entrances when it's silent.
I don't know that everybody will love and appreciate the film as much as I did, and I certainly don't want to raise your hopes and expectations beyond all
reasonable levels, but there's a reason I'm boldly claiming this is the best Western to hit the big screen since Tombstone, and it's no mistake that I
made the decision to brand this with the elusive five mark rating. Just go see it. If you're a fan of Westerns then you'll love it. If you don't then I
pity your calloused soul.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Russell Crowe was director James Mangold's very first choice for the role of Ben Wade. After Tom Cruise dropped out of talks for the film, putting it into
turnaround, it was the casting of Crowe that got the production back up and running.
- I am going to say a prayer tonight thanking the good Lord for Tom Cruise not being in this film. Honestly, there is absolutely no way Cruise could have pulled
off the role of Ben Wade. A 5'4" feared outlaw? Please.
- Eric Bana was in initial negotiations to star opposite Tom Cruise.
- It's classified as a remake of the 1957 film by the same name, but it's truly a different interpretation of Elmore Leonard's short story which was published in
Dime Western Magazine in 1953.
- I would have loved to have seen Val Kilmer as Grayson Butterfield, since Dallas Roberts was clearly doing a "Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday"
impersonation.
- Watch for Luke Wilson's cameo. I'm not joking.
- Director James Mangold drew inspiration from 3:10 TO YUMA in writing and directing his second feature, COP LAND (1997). "In fact," says the director, "I
named the main character, Sheriff Freddy Heflin, after Van Heflin, who played Dan Evans in the original film."
- Mangold began to seriously entertain the notion of remaking 3:10 TO YUMA while directing IDENTITY (2002) for Columbia Pictures, which owned the film rights.
"It struck me: why not actually try to tackle the original film and the original story ideas from a modern perspective?" he says. "Sometimes the most attractive
land is the land that hasn't been plowed lately and the western seemed to me to have been abandoned in the last decade. Yet it's such an integral part of
American moviemaking."
- Mangold and longtime producer Cathy Konrad wanted the trek from Bisbee to Contention, barely glimpsed in the original film, to be further dramatized in their
production.
- They also developed new characters, such as Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda).
- Production on 3:10 TO YUMA got underway in New Mexico on October 23, 2006 and lasted 54 days, wrapping up on January 26, 2007.
- Russell Crowe is in American Gangster with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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"Violence" - This is where the film earns its R rating. Realistic and loud gunfights abound. They're not overly gory or bloody, but it's not exactly something
to expose your 8-year-old to. If you can handle Tombstone, Open Range, etc. then you'll be fine with this.
"Some language" - I've definitely heard worse language in PG-13 films. However, two "f" bombs are dropped and there are 10+ G-d**ns.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I was excited when I first heard about the film and its casting, and the trailer served to raise my hopes higher. If the trailer piqued your interest
then you likely will not be disappointed.
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THE GIST
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3:10 to Yuma has brought the Western back to life, and it's made this genre fanboy quite happy. Go see it at the theater. It needs to do well at the box
office so that more films like it will be made.
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