3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Wow. Why is it that I don’t usually hear a thing about this film? It finally got released here and I went to see it with no expectation of any kind, only to spend one of the most enjoyable and exhilarating two hours in a cinema that I’ve had lately. James Mangold might not be the best director out there, but he sure knows how to keep an audience entertained, has covered many genres throughout his somewhat short career and always makes his actors deliver great to fantastic performances. This is his most cinematic and mature work to date that was sadly and largely overlooked by the awards circuits last year, only noticeably garnering two well-deserved Oscar nominations for Best Score and Best Sound and a SAG nod for Best Ensemble.

Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a small-time rancher, who lost a leg in the Civil War and then got ruined by the drought and finds himself owing a large amount of money to one of the most powerful men in Bisbee. He has a wife and two children, the oldest of which has very little respect for him as he sees him as a coward and a failure. After witnessing a stagecoach robbery by the ruthless outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his subsequent capture, he joins a small group of men in an extremely perilous mission: taking Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train in Contention, for a reward of $200 dollars. There’s at least three reasons why that is a suicidal mission: 1) Ben Wade: incredibly fast and cunning cold-blooded murder, whom Evans saw killing another man of his gang during the stagecoach robbery; 2) Ben Wade’s gang leaded by the total psycho Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) who weren’t captured and are sure to attempt saving their leader; and 3)Apaches: Evans’s party decides to talk a shortcut through Apache territory, who would welcome an opportunity to have revenge on white men.

The two main characters are extremely well-written and their arcs unfold in a subtle, effective way. We find that Evans, for example, is not only thinking about money but about his older son William (who follows the party for a while and jumps in to help at the perfect time, much to his father’s amazement) and how he sees him. Christian Bale brings this character to life with amazing pathos and restrained, subtle passion. One of his most understated and underrated performances to date; he would have been equally convincing with no dialogue at all, as he speaks tons with his intense, powerful gaze. The “transformation” he has before our (and the character’s) eyes is incredibly striking as he goes from a weak, feeble, defeated rancher to a strong, determined, fearless man. Ben Wade is an extremely complex character and Russell Crowe’s portrayal is so charismatic and nuanced that if you blink you might miss a glint in his eye or an imperceptible gesture that could shed light into his true nature. By being a cold-blooded murdered he earned his gang’s respect and the people’s fear, but there is a method to his “madness” and he has rules, however unfair and sadistic they might be. I think the film gives enough clues to discover his character, but reading through the Internet, I’ve found that many people weren’t convinced by his character arc and were therefore disappointed by the ending. However, I am convinced that at least half of them missed some of the details in the script, Mangold’s direction and Crowe’s performance that worked together to give the character unusual depth and believability. Perhaps more hints were needed to make it even clearer, but I myself loved the way it was done. Bale and Crowe’s chemistry is unmistakable and fascinating to watch. Two of my favourite actors working together, I do hope they repeat it!

Dan’s son, William, is immediately captivated and fascinated by Ben Wade and I was ready to hate him and dismiss him as the prototypical annoying, disrespectful, loathsome son when I found out that there was much more depth to his character and he is a vital part of the film. Logan Lerman does an adequate job of portraying him but his eyes were opened a bit too wide sometimes, giving him a satanic, slightly disturbing look. Aside from that, however, he does a good job. Ben Foster as Charlie Prince, the killing machine, was all right in a mostly one-note character, but I didn’t think he looked the part and therefore found him somewhat unconvincing. The rest of the cast is excellent: Dallas Roberts as Butterfield (the man with the money) and Alan Tudyk (the “doctor”) provide good comic relief; Peter Fonda is exhilarating as the rough, old-timer; and Gretchen Mol as Dan’s wife is lovely in a very limited role.

The cinematography and score are absolutely gorgeous but none would make my respective lineups in 2007 as they were both particularly strong categories last year. Flawlessly edited, the pacing of the film is definitely one of the strongest aspects of 3:10 to Yuma and one of the main reasons of why this film is so effective. Morally complex (there’s no good vs. bad guy simplistic logic here), often times I would find myself thinking about what I would do in those situations and if the right thing to do outweighs the more personal, selfish reasons or vice versa. In short, this is an excellent western boasting an incredibly rich screenplay, tightly directed and expertly acted which provides wonderful suspense, breathtaking action and moving, affecting drama (I even teared up in a couple of scenes). A compelling watch all the way through and highly recommended!

Personal rating: 9/10