3:10 To Yuma (2007)
July 20th 2008 07:25
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster
Director: James Mangold
Screenplay: Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
Running Time: 122 minutes
A remake of a 1957 B-grade western, this movie promised a lot but, in the end, delivered little. There are some stand out moments for sure, and some of the acting and gun play is certainly admirable, but the director would have done well to follow the original to a T.
Set in the 1880s, 3:10 tells the story of cattle farmer Dan Evans (Bale) who agrees to help the Pinkerton Detective agency escort recently captured outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) to the local town to catch the train to Yuma state prison.
Evans is desperate to clear a debt he owes a neighbouring cattle baron, so the money he will earn is well worth the risk, as he knows Wade’s gang is keen to free him. So a game of cat and mouse begins, and while in most westerns of this type the good guys and the bad guys are clearly defined, it is not the case with this pic.
Where the viewer is let down is the ending and the characterisation of Wade. One minute he has total psychopathic tendencies, yet the next he shows an empathetic nature, which does not appear to gel with the rest of his character. The director and/or writer were being to smart for their own good and the ending of the movie leaves you with a slightly bitter taste in your mouth.
2.5 stars out of 5
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