← Back to Reviews
in
One of the first things you notice about any given Western is the faces of its characters. The genre is littered with prolonged close ups of gruff, leathery faces, and both heroes and villains whose expressions are painted with a map of the world.
3:10 to Yuma follows in this genre tradition, but scorns several others in its message. This is not a tale about a lone gunslinger settling a score, or a nameless mercenary with no loyalty to anything but money. This film only allows such well-tread ideas to occupy its background, and similarly eschews the sometimes simplistic black-and-white morals of those, well, black-and-white Westerns.
No, instead, this film is simply about a man named Dan Evans (Christian Bale). Evans has been dealt a raw hand in life, but has dutifully played it to the best of his ability. He is struggling to make ends meet as a rancher, and worries that his wife and two sons are losing respect for him.
Enter Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), a notorious criminal with his sights set on a stagecoach traveling near Evans' land. The two of them cross paths, naturally, and Evans does the prudent thing and backs down, even after becoming a witness to Wade's theft and murder.
Wade is eventually captured, but his capturers need another man to transport him. Evans finds himself in the unique position of being the only capable man nearby. The job pays well, and he decides to take a chance, though his real reasons for doing so are revealed later on.
Above other genres, Westerns are about sincerity, and men who value actions and experiences over mere words. This film has a bit more dialogue than some of its bretheren, though most of it comes from Wade. His words always have a purpose, however, and he never stops looking for an angle. He's Hannibal Lecter on horseback, and is smart enough to know just how evil he is.
3:10 to Yuma's production values are top-notch, and we get our Western quota (and then some) of hardened, weary looking extras. The supporting cast is strong, with Ben Foster's performance as Charlie Prince standing out.
Bale and Crowe excel in the two leads, playing off each other believably and often. Evans is not immune to Wade's manipulations, but the traumas and disappointments of his life overwhelm his immediate fears. These two men live in a harsh world, and have chosen very different paths in response. They have set habits, and attitudes, but both seem tantalized by the thought that they could have lived the other's life. The film builds towards a resolution that surprises at times, but in retrospect couldn't have ended any other way.
In the end, 3:10 to Yuma is a story about desperation, and how it can drive a man to do unexpected things. It looks and feels the way you would expect a modern Western to feel, but it is more perceptive than such a film has any right to be, and is thick with themes that every man can relate to.
3:10 to Yuma follows in this genre tradition, but scorns several others in its message. This is not a tale about a lone gunslinger settling a score, or a nameless mercenary with no loyalty to anything but money. This film only allows such well-tread ideas to occupy its background, and similarly eschews the sometimes simplistic black-and-white morals of those, well, black-and-white Westerns.
No, instead, this film is simply about a man named Dan Evans (Christian Bale). Evans has been dealt a raw hand in life, but has dutifully played it to the best of his ability. He is struggling to make ends meet as a rancher, and worries that his wife and two sons are losing respect for him.
Enter Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), a notorious criminal with his sights set on a stagecoach traveling near Evans' land. The two of them cross paths, naturally, and Evans does the prudent thing and backs down, even after becoming a witness to Wade's theft and murder.
Wade is eventually captured, but his capturers need another man to transport him. Evans finds himself in the unique position of being the only capable man nearby. The job pays well, and he decides to take a chance, though his real reasons for doing so are revealed later on.
Above other genres, Westerns are about sincerity, and men who value actions and experiences over mere words. This film has a bit more dialogue than some of its bretheren, though most of it comes from Wade. His words always have a purpose, however, and he never stops looking for an angle. He's Hannibal Lecter on horseback, and is smart enough to know just how evil he is.
3:10 to Yuma's production values are top-notch, and we get our Western quota (and then some) of hardened, weary looking extras. The supporting cast is strong, with Ben Foster's performance as Charlie Prince standing out.
Bale and Crowe excel in the two leads, playing off each other believably and often. Evans is not immune to Wade's manipulations, but the traumas and disappointments of his life overwhelm his immediate fears. These two men live in a harsh world, and have chosen very different paths in response. They have set habits, and attitudes, but both seem tantalized by the thought that they could have lived the other's life. The film builds towards a resolution that surprises at times, but in retrospect couldn't have ended any other way.
In the end, 3:10 to Yuma is a story about desperation, and how it can drive a man to do unexpected things. It looks and feels the way you would expect a modern Western to feel, but it is more perceptive than such a film has any right to be, and is thick with themes that every man can relate to.