3:10 to Yuma: Westerns are Back!
Vedavyasa Bhat reviews James Mangold’s 2007 Russell Crowe and Christian Bale starer 3:10 to Yuma
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
3:10 to Yuma has all the classic western elements and a superb cast with Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster and directed by James Mangold (of Walk the Line fame), the story of Outlaws, gunslingers and the eternal Good vs Evil is once again immortalised in cinematic glory.
Christian Bale (according to me one of the most under rated actors in Hollywood) plays a rancher Dan Evans who lost one leg in the war and is now struggling to save his ranch from the local landlord, feed his family and live up to his son’s expectations. He soon gets a chance to do all of that and more when a famed and much wanted outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is caught and the railroad company (from which Ben robs quite a lot) offers 200 dollars to Dan if he escorts Ben Wade and puts him on the 3:10 train to Yuma.
Ben Wade is coolly confident that he will never set foot on the train, he will either escape or he will be rescued by his faithful and psychotic gang member Charlie Prince (Ben foster). Dan Evans on the other hand is fully determined to make sure Ben in put on the 3:10, to save his ranch, his family and more importantly be a man in his son’s eyes. There begins a beautiful tale of wits, action and relationships.
The horses, the clothing, the dust, the boots….all the western elements shine through in glory.Will the hard and cold blooded Ben Wade see the error of his ways or will he have his way through force or bribery ? Will Dan Evans fulfill his mission and not give in to the bribery of Ben Wade, will he save his family and more importantly will his son see in his father a man and a hero who stands up for what he must do ?
3:10 to Yuma is a beautiful tale that will answer all these questions and will leave you strangely involved especially with the climax. While some would say predictable, what matters is the manner of storytelling which reminds you of all the Louis L’Amour westerns you read as a kid (if you did) and will remind you of the Clint Eastwood westerns.
Brilliant performances take this movie to an unforgettable level and this will be one of the best modern day westerns ever made. I am now watching another one - ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford’ and after 3:10 to Yuma, my expectations are sure high up there.
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(4 votes, average: 2.5 out of 5)
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