IGN Review: Stax
The rare remake that is as good if not better than the original film, director James Mangold's version of 3:10 to Yuma is a thrilling, character-driven movie that ranks as one of the very best films of the year.
The performances by the top-notch cast and the taut screenplay penned by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas -- based on Elmore Leonard's short story and the script for the 1957 film by Halsted Welles -- make the characters inhabiting Yuma human and utterly relatable to modern audiences. While the writers alter a few things from the original film, they also add plenty to make this outing an even more complex and action-packed tale than its predecessor.
The film's premise is simple, but effective: After notorious Arizona outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is captured, it's up to a handful of locals, including down on his luck rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) and bounty hunter Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), to bring him to justice. Their mission is to transport Wade to the town of Contention where he will be put on the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. While this journey entails a trip through dangerous Apache territory, the greatest threat to the posse comes from the prisoner himself and his murderous henchmen.
Wade's gang, run by the fanatically loyal Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) in his absence, is determined to liberate their leader. In the end, the only man willing to see the job through is Dan, who must also win the respect of his surly teenage son Will (Logan Lerman). The closer Dan gets to bringing Ben to justice, the more the two men come to find common ground and mutual respect.
Life has not been fair to Dan Evans. He lost his foot in the Civil War, a drought has ravaged his ranch and hired goons for the railroad are trying to force him off his land. He hasn't entirely lost his dignity, but his family keeps looking to him to provide. Even though it could kill him, the best thing that's happened to Dan was meeting Ben Wade. Bringing Ben to the Yuma station isn't just about earning $200, although he certainly needs the money; it's about redeeming himself as a man and a father. While Dan is the latest in a series of driven characters played by Bale, he has never appeared as vulnerable and low in self-esteem as he does here.
Ben Wade is a keen-eyed student of nature, human and otherwise. He has an artistic streak, with a knack for uncannily accurate still-life sketches. He observes not just for his subject's weaknesses, but also their strengths. And what he observes in Dan ultimately moves him to consider doing the first kind act he may have done in ages. The relationship between Dan and Ben isn't entirely adversarial; both men ultimately tell the truth about who they are, where they've come from and why they are the way they are.
Crowe -- who bears a strong resemblance to the late Glenn Ford, who played Wade in the original film -- certainly has the showier role of the two main characters, but he does a wonderfully nuanced job in slowly peeling back the layers to reveal that Ben isn't as bad as he'd like people to think. The real scene-stealer in the film, though, is Foster. Crazy-eyed gunslinger Charlie Prince is like a loyal but wild dog who will maul anyone seeking to hurt his master and would follow him into hell if need be. There is a glance between Ben and Charlie near the end that is one of the most moving and dramatic moments seen in any film this year.
Mangold keeps the film moving from the get-go, starting with an opening stagecoach robbery and on through the journey to Contention and then finally the climactic train station shoot-out. 3:10 to Yuma isn't preoccupied with scenery and majestic vistas of a bygone era; it's an action-thriller about fascinating people, and that's what makes it more approachable and fun than other recent Westerns.
Don't let the fact that it's a "period" film keep you from seeing 3:10 to Yuma. It's a kick-ass action film, as well as a vastly entertaining movie that proves that popcorn flicks don't have to be dumb, shallow or contemporary to be enjoyed.
