3:10 to Yuma (2007 version)

Nicole:

This one was a little hard for me. I really didn’t want to like it and as a result I was super confused on where to start and where to go with it. So, the facts. Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a down on his luck, one legged, ex-Union soldier turned rancher in Arizona and it’s not going well. His irrigated water has been cut off, his children and wife are going hungry, and the cattle are dying. The railroad would like to lay tracks down on his land so they are doing everything possible to smoke Mr. Evans out, including setting fire to his barn. There is no money and he has no place to go except the end of his rope. Russell Crowe (a no good murdering, thieving, ladies’ man named Ben Wade) has just robbed a railroad stagecoach and has gotten caught. Through a series of events, Dan gets involved and for the price of $200 he will help deliver Ben Wade to the 3:10 pm train going to the Yuma prison in two days. This gets complicated when Ben Wade’s gang is hell bent on rescuing him.

Let’s start with what I liked. Russell Crowe. He was so good at being bad. Crowe conveys Ben Wade with a cool ease that makes you want to either be him or follow him. But not be his friend, things don’t end well when you’re his friend. Dan Evens’ son is even enamored by him and follows the group to Yuma. Ben Wade is scary smart and he does that thing where you like him one minute and think he has some redemptive qualities only to be shocked the next when he stabs a man to death with a dinner fork while everyone sleeps. Whoa there fella!  I also liked Charlie Prince, played by Ben Foster. This little guy was mean. He delights in shooting people because they exist and has a creepy devotion to Ben Wade that rivals most stalkers. So, what I didn’t like… and what caused me to sit on this post for 4 days. Let me just say that I love Westerns. My dad instilled this love in my heart at a young age when we would sit down on Saturday afternoons to watch movies like The Cowboys, The Searchers, and The Alamo. Granted these are all John Wayne movies, but he was one of dad’s heroes and The Duke became a legend in my mind because of it. Fast forward 30 years where we now have Christian Bale playing the hero. It just didn’t fit in my head when it came to what I think of a rough and tough western hero. I will say that Christian Bale is really good. He portrays Dan Evans’ frustration in a way that I felt deep in my soul. This story turns into a fight for Dan’s very existence and to my surprise, I really liked it in the end. Dan stays true to his promise as he is temped several times by Ben Wade to do the easy and wrong thing. It just took me a while to warm up to Christian as Dan Evans. This movie was smart, heartbreaking, soulful and I highly recommend watching it with anyone else that loves Westerns too. I rate it 1 ¾ Civil War legs out of 2.

Kyle:

Much like my beloved bride, I love westerns, too. However, my love for them began the first time I saw Tombstone in the theater. What followed was watching predominately the “Spaghetti Westerns” with Clint Eastwood, some John Wayne, and various others- including the 1957 version of 3:10 to Yuma. This may rub some people wrong, but the 2007 version is a better movie. There, I said it. It has more depth of character, is a better action film, and you truly feel the struggles that the characters go through. I don’t think Christian Bale was the best choice for Dan Evans, but Russell Crowe played Ben Wade spot-on. I also love Ben Foster’s version of Charlie Prince- a character that should be included with Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter as one of the best villains of all time. He plays the role in a stone-cold, deadpan manner that will kill any ‘sumbitch at the drop of a hat. 2:50 out of 3:10. The fork murder scene probably pushes this into NJA territory.