Western Weekends - 3:10 to Yuma

It's been a while since I've done one of these. But a Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer was released last Thursday, and it's been on the mind since then. I thought today I'd go for a recent film, 3:10 to Yuma, based on the short story by Elmore Leonard. There was a adaptation released in 1957 with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, but I'll discuss that one when I've seen it. The one I've seen was released in 2007, with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.

Christian Bale plays Dan Evans, an impoverished rancher living near Bisbee in Arizona. In an attempt to alleviate his financial burdens, he joins a posse to escort Russell Crowe's Ben Wade to Contention, where the notorious outlaw will be put on board a train to Yuma Territorial Prison. We follow the posse as they travel to Contention and overcome numerous pitfalls while being pursued by Wade's gang, led by his right-hand man Charlie Prince, played by Ben Foster.

I think Christian Bale and Russell Crowe work off each other really well. Evans presents himself as a morally upright figure, who doesn't seem interested in the reward or even delivering justice. Meanwhile, Ben Wade is a charismatic and cunning manipulator, who acts like a wild card and even helps his captors at times. The posse also includes the elderly Pinkerton agent Byron McElroy, played by Peter Fonda, and Bisbee's vet Doc Potter, played by Alan Tudyk.

It's quite a dark film, with two of the posse members being as bad as Wade - you'll be glad when they get killed off. It offers a savage morality which mirrors the setting, and I think it pays off. I'm not going to say how, as I don't want to spoil it.

At the time of writing, this version of 3:10 to Yuma is available on Amazon Instant Video. I'm sorry that I'm not comparing the original, but I might do if I see it. I guess sometimes it's interesting to see a remake before the original.