3:10 to Yuma

[Invisible Man]

In Arizona in the late 1800s, infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) and his vicious gang of thieves and murderers have plagued the Southern Railroad. When Wade is captured, Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Christian Bale), struggling to survive on his drought-plagued ranch, volunteers to deliver him alive to the "3:10 to Yuma", a train that will take the killer to trial. On the trail, Evans and Wade, each from very different worlds, begin to earn each other's respect. But with Wade�s outfit on their trail and dangers at every turn the mission soon becomes a violent, impossible journey toward each man's destiny.

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[nachoman]

It's been 50 years since the release of the first movie called “3:10 to Yuma” and a lot has changed since then. Films about the Old West were king back then, today they are nearly forgotten.

The hero of the story, Dan Evans (played by Christian Bale of “Batman Begins”) is a struggling Arizona rancher who lost a leg in the Civil War and is facing eviction from his property. An unscrupulous businessman has run off his cattle, cut off his water supply and burned his barn. He and his sons are out rounding up the strays when they see a stagecoach robbery by the gang of the notorious outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). Evans' oldest son, William, (Logan Lerman of “Hoot”) is fascinated by the outlaw and disappointed in his father. When Wade is eventually captured, Evans volunteers to guard Wade on his journey to prison in Yuma, Arizona. He hopes to save his ranch with the $200 (almost the exact same amount he got in compensation for the loss of his leg) he will get for the job. He also hopes to earn the respect of his family.

On the way to Yuma, the posse stops overnight at Evans' ranch. Wade turns on the charm when he talks to Evan's pretty wife, Alice (Gretchen Mol of “The Notorious Betty Page”) and William. The road to Yuma is deadly, as Wade's gang attacks the captors, hoping to free Wade. They also face attacks from renegade Apaches and a renegade posse, who wants to execute Wade before he goes to trial. With trickery and determination, the group guarding the prisoner continues toward Yuma, but they are being picked off one by one.

The cast is excellent, although Bale has a bit too much edge to him to play a rock-solid decent guy the way Van Heflin did in the original (and in “Shane”). His limp seems to come and go, too. Also excellent in a supporting role is Ben Foster who plays Wade's loyal right hand man, Charlie Prince, a vicious killer. Also good is a nearly unrecognizable Peter Fonda, who plays the Sam Elliot-type role as the tough old lawman. This movie is a bit slow and talky, but it has plenty of action, too. It could have been shortened a bit, but otherwise is a fine movie. There were some problems with a few details, too, like the posse not putting out the fire at night when they are attacked by Apaches. The fire made them easy targets, but it was also the only lighting for the scene. This is one of those films that stays with you. It is not easily forgotten. The story is haunting. I kept thinking about it for days after seeing it.

Welcome back Western, nice to see you on top again.

[snookumsnort]

I think it's a good father-and-son themed story. But I just found the ending unbelievable. How a hard-hearted bandit can turn around that fast is beyond me.

[Toaster_Jesus]

I loved the Film plus i got the ending id try to explain it but My abilty to argue and form An agruement is well rather Pathetic

[nachoman]

Well you liked it, that pretty much says it all. I am surprised that I have heard many people were disappointed in this film. I am not sure what they were expecting exactly.