3:10 to Yuma
3:10 to Yuma is a tremendous film, packed with action and great performances. It is a film about redemption, honour, and relationships between two very different yet eerily similar men. Westerns, in their heydays, were about morality in every sense of the word. The western was, at some point and time, a film genre that discussed the honour among men and the possibility for redemption in extreme circumstances. Westerns like that, however, appear to have gone by the wayside with rare exceptions to the rule like Clint Eastwood’s stellar Unforgiven.
With James Mangold’s 3:10 to Yuma, the genre is rescued if only for a moment. 3:10 to Yuma has a simplistic plot. Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, this 2007 film is a remake of a 1957 film that starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. This remake exceeds the original in just about every way, instilling passion and values into a story that could so quickly spiral out of control. With 3:10 to Yuma, the performances and incredible direction from Mangold boost the film over the rails of many lookalike westerns and breathe new human energy into an often desolate genre.
Christian Bale stars as Dan Evans, a down on his luck rancher. Bale, who seems to be rather masochistic when choosing his film roles, is absolutely compelling as Evans. Evans is a Civil War veteran and lost one of his legs as the result of an incident he doesn’t like to talk about because it shames him. He is a man that lives under a shroud of shame, in fact. His two sons don’t respect him and his wife patronizes him and has lost faith in him. The family is poor and is in the process of being forced from their land to make way for the sweet sting of progress. Evans is seen by his family as a man that refuses to fight for his land, so when an opportunity arrives to change that perception, he takes it.
Russell Crowe stars as outlaw Ben Wade. Wade is the prototypical “fastest draw in the West” style of outlaw. He is slick, cool, fast-talking, and intelligent. One gets the feeling that Wade often feels out of place as the leader of his gang, as he sketches birds and other natural elements in between heists. He is a serial killer, too, and has a self-proclaimed cold heart, yet there is a depth to his character that espouses a hidden morality. This morality, which comes into play later and rather suddenly, gives Wade depth as a human being and makes him a more believable character as a whole. Crowe, who is on a string of impeccable performances and is almost always reliable as an actor, doesn’t disappoint in the least. He is flawless.
The two characters come together as Wade is captured and is supposed to be transferred to prison where he will be hung for his crimes. Attempting to save face with his family and to collect the handsome award money, Evans volunteers to join the escort party. The goal is to get Wade on the train to Yuma at 3:10, hence the title. Along the way, however, Wade’s gang makes various attempts to free their fearless leader and various campfire and hotel room conversations give us insight into the true nature of these delightful characters. Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda, and Ben Foster fill in very important roles incredibly well, too.
The interesting thing about 3:10 to Yuma lies with the relationship between Wade and Evans. Wade is often quoting Proverbs or hitting on women, living his life as a performance of sorts to impress those around him and maintain control of his gang. There is a sense, captured through the eloquent performance of Russell Crowe, that Wade feels an odd sense of relief when he is with Evans. Evans is more of an intellectual equal, despite being a weaker and broken man, and there is a certain comfort that belies the relationship between the two men that makes for very compelling conversation and engaging scenes between these two great actors.
3:10 to Yuma works so well because it is a film about the shifting personalities we all encounter. Bale’s Evans is a man who has avoided danger and responsibility, possibly living in fear and anger over what happened to his leg. He is a man covered by shame, yet he takes an unnecessary and illogical risk in transporting Ben Wade in an attempt to save some face and win over some pride. Wade, on the other hand, is a killer but at the same time he is no killer. He appears to want to live passionately and experience a life outside of what he knows, yet his background (told to Evans in a beautiful hotel room conversation scene) fleshes out the basics of who he is and, more importantly, what he knows. What Bale and Crowe do with this depth of character is astounding and perfect. These men do not merely speak dialogue, but rather they make the audience forget that dialogue was ever written. It’s amazing.
Mangold, as the director, is quickly proving to be an able talent. His Walk the Line and Girl, Interrupted might make him seem like an unlikely choice to pull off a gritty and violent western. Yet he does it and he does it very well. The views and cinematography in this film are incredible and the direction of some of the closer scenes between Crowe and Bale reveal a director who knows how to shoot great actors. This film is as well-made a western as has been around since Eastwood’s Unforgiven. Mangold has crafted what should be a genre classic.
Trailer:
