3:10 to Yuma

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Director: James Mangold

Writers: Halsted Welles (screenplay),  Michael Brandt (screenplay), Derek Haas (screenplay), Elmore Leonard (short story)

Cast: Russel; Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Peter Fonda, Vinessa Shaw, Alan Tudyk, Luce Rains, Gretchen Mol, Kevin Durand

Synopsis:

On the way to Bisbee to confront his landlord over issues with his ranch, Dan Evans (Bale) witnesses a stagecoach robbery led by the outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe). Later when Wade is captured by the law, Evans agrees to join the part to escort the outlaw to Contention in order to catch the 3:10 train to Yuma prison in exchange for $200. He is joined by Marshall Weathers (Rains), Pinkerton Agent Byron McElroy, Doc Potter (Tudyk), railroad man Grayson Butterfield (Roberts) and Tucker (Durand), a local thug in the employ of Dan's greedy landlord. The trip to Contention is fraught with danger as the group is pursued by Wade's gang led by the vicious Charlie Prince (Foster). To complicate matters further, Dan's eldest son, William (Lerman) follows the group against his father's wishes. 

First Impressions:

I missed this one in theaters. I was hesitant to see it in the beginning because I'm a fan of the Western and many modern films in the genre are really just action movies with a cowboy skin on them. However, on a whim I saw it at my local HMV and decided to grab it. I was familiar with James Mangold from Copland, which I enjoyed a great deal and Russell Crowe was still a big draw back then, so I figured I'd give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it on my first viewing. While it looks a bit more polished than those older Westerns, it still maintained that old-time feel that drew me to the genre in the first place. That being said, it's not a film I often return to and I often turn to other films such as Unforgiven and Open Range when I need to scratch that Western itch. I have high hopes that this one will hold up under a critical eye, so let's jump in an have a look.  

Story/Direction: 

"And you just remember that your old man walked Ben Wade to that station when nobody else would."

There's not much in they way of story in 3:10 to Yuma, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a standard chase movie and director James Mangold wisely opts to keep it simple rather than muddy it with high-concept ideas and other mental flotsam. While externally the film is focused on Dan and company's efforts to get Ben Wade to that train, the film really is about the relationship between the rancher and the outlaw. Mangold established early in the film that Dan is about to lose his ranch if he doesn't pay off his landlord soon. We're also shown early that William, his eldest son, resents his father because he views him as a failure that can't provide for his family. So, Dan is in this situation purely for the money not because he's greedy but because he needs it for his family, he's desperate. Meanwhile, Mangold establishes early that Wade is clearly a killer and a bad man, but he's also a sensitive soul. Prior to the stagecoach robbery, he's calmly sketching a picture of a bid, just taking in the beauty of his surroundings. He seems almost unconcerned when the law catches up to him. It's that dichotomy between the characters where the real meat in the story comes from. In the beginning, Dan wants nothing to do with Wade, who does his best to escape whenever he can. But as the journey progresses, the two men learn more about each other and by the time they reach contention, there's almost an understanding between them, if not a grudging respect.

The story in the film moves from point to point, much like the group does along the road to contention. Mangold occasionally flits back to Charlie and the gang's perspective just to break things up. This approach is pretty well worn in a movie like this but, again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It the simplicity in the story that allows the characters room to breathe. Honestly, while it works well for the film, it's a bit of a pain in the ass to write about because of the simple premise. Dan and company just need to get from Point A to Point B and try not to die along the way. That's a minor quibble, though and I look at 3:10 to Yuma as one of the last true blockbuster Westerns. It was released just before the MCU hit and changed cinema (for better or worse) forever. Hopefully, we'll begin to see more of these types of mid-budget historical films in the future but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Acting/Characters:

As I mentioned above, the film really revolves around the relationship between Ben Wade and Dan Evans. While Russell Crowe got top billing as the outlaw Ben Wade, this is really Christian Bale's film. I'll be the first to say that I can go either way on Bale. He's a talented actor, for sure, but he has a niche where he plays very intense and driven characters that can get a bit tiresome at times. That's probably one of the reasons that I enjoyed his performance in this film so much because it differs so much from his usual output. As I mentioned above, Dan is desperate, he's a failure and he knows it. He's already lost the respect of his family, even though he's just trying to do right by them. It really is a good performance as you can seen the pain in Dan's eyes whenever he talks about his situation but you can also see determination there as well. He's an unusual hero for a Western, which makes it all the more better.

On the other hand, Ben Wade is closer to the classic Western hero than Evans. Wade is an outlaw with a rough past, who rails against the "civilization" that is coming to the West. He's done some truly evil things but at the same time, you can see that he has some regrets. He doesn't really want to be this kind of person but it's the only thing he knows. In many ways, I think the character of Arthur Morgan from the video game Red Dead Redemption II (which is a fantastic game), was informed a great deal by Ben Wade. At the outset of the journey to Contention, Wade is just seeking to get away but by the end he's trying his best to help Dan out. While it would be inaccurate to say the pair become friends by the end, Wade gains a fair amount of respect from what Evans is doing on behalf of his family.

The rest of the cast is superb, led by the film's antagonist Charlie Prince, played by Ben Foster. Prince is such an irredeemable shit that you really hope something bad happens to him. The only thing missing was a few moustache twirls. Logan Lerman plays Dan's eldest son William, who goes on his own journey of respect with is father (I didn't have time to get into that but it's also pretty good). I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention Alan Tudyk as Doc Potter who plays a classic fish out of water. Finally, there Kevin Durand, who excels at playing the oafish asshole, as Tucker an man in the employ of Dan's landlord who recently burned down the rancher's barn.

Visuals/Action:

Visually, 3:10 to Yuma is interesting. The first half of the film is shot with a very yellow filter, accentuating the brightness of the desert landscape. However, during the second half of the film, the color palette shifts to something grayer, signifying the impeding final showdown in Contention. The production values are all very good and everything looks authentically late-19th century.  

There are also quite a few good action beats in the film. It starts out with the stagecoach robbery which was very well done. There's also am escape from hostile Apaches and a chase through a mountain pass. The highlight action sequence has to be the final race through Contention to get to the train station. It's an intense final few minutes that sees Dan and Ben weave through the streets trying not to get shot by Prince and the gang. It's very well done. All-in-all the action is suitable for the genre and not too bombastic or overly silly, so it gets top marks from me. 

Music:

The music was composed by Marco Beltrami and is somewhat reminiscent of Morricone's work from those great Spaghetti Westerns of the '60s. Like all good scores it sits in the background providing ambience and rises to the necessary high points when thematically appropriate. It's an understated score but still effective in my mind. 

Final Verdict:

This is still a great film in my mind and this most recent viewing only improves that outlook. I highly recommended it for fans of Westerns or just fans of great films. Check it out on streaming, or better yet, grab it on Blu-Ray (they're cheap now and it's better).