3:10 to Yuma (2007, R)

Well, it took two viewings of 3:10 to Yuma, the new western starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and directed by James Mangold, to clarify my star rating and to write a review.  The first go around, I felt like that I had watched an action movie.  Upon my second viewing, I knew that I had watched a western, though a different kind of western that delivers in shootouts, fist fights and by bringing a sense of psychology to it.  This is a remake of the 1957 movie of the same name.  When released in 1957, it was called as one of the most mature westerns of its time.

            Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a crippled American Civil War veteran and a husband and father of two sons.  He is struggling to keep his farm prospering because he owes a big debt.  He told that he has one week to pay the debt, or he will lose the farm.  Meanwhile, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is the biggest bad guy of the west and leads a gang of vicious outlaws.  Wade, however, is captured and sentenced to be hanged, and must be sent to the 3:10 to Yuma train.  Evans volunteers to take him there, as the $200 he will be paid is enough to pay off the debt.  As the journey continues, and with Wade’s gang, now led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) who is always loyal to Ben, Wade always gets the upper hand but then always loses it, and control passes between Wade and Evans.

            This is a straightforward, though entertaining western.  It received critical praise upon release, and was a success at the box-office. 

            The acting is great.  The Australian Crowe gives a good turn in as Wade, while Bale is fast becoming one of the better actors in Hollywood.  The 14-year old Logan Lerman plays Evans’ rebellious older son, while an unrecognizable Peter Fonda is one of the Pinkerton agents assisting them.

            However, 3:10 to Yuma suffers from some obvious faults and misgivings.  The luckiest  things happen to Wade so that he can gain the upper hand, and then right after the luckiest thing happens against him so that control turns back to Evans.  These repetitive events happen all too often.  We are left guessing as to what the next lucky thing will happen for either of the men to gain the upper hand next, and then left guessing as to when the other will gain it, and so on.

            If that is not enough, 3:10 to Yuma is almost purely a shoot em up western.  Someone always gets killed, whether by gun, knife, dynamite, thrown off a cliff or a fork in nearly every scene, or at least someone is trying to shoot or kill someone else.  So the shootings and the killings in the movie hardly ever even let up. 

            The end gunbattle has Evans, alone, escorting Wade the last half mile to the train.  Not only is all of Wade’s gang shooting at Evans, but about 40 other people in the town are trying to shoot Evans to, as they want the 200 dollars promised by the bad guys (like they would ever give up $200).  It would be impossible for Evans to survive that final gun battle to the train.  He at least made it to the train before the surprise twist is revealed. 

            So, all in all, 3:10 to Yuma made for an entertaining, well shot, well acted and well directed western.  Even though, this can’t fully save it from the been there shoot em up western it is. 
Rating: ***