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3:10 To Yuma: Through Train To The Old West |
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Written by Huang Yifang
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3:10 To Yuma is a remake of the 1957 Western movie, based on the short story
by Elmore Leonard. Academy Award winner® Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and equally
noteworthy actor Christian Bale (Batman Begins) star in this movie, set
in the old West.
With these two Hollywood heavyweights, I watched
the movie with high expectations and was not disappointed.
Crowe
plays Ben Wade - a notorious outlaw whose gang engages in robberies
on the Southern Pacific Railroad, killing many in their wake. He is
the epitome of leadership and commands the loyalty of his gang members,
especially his second-in-command Charlie Prince, played by Ben Foster
(X-Men: The Last Stand). Always managing to outsmart the authorities, Ben Wade is legendary in the wild West.
On
the other side of the spectrum is Dan Evans (Bale), who staunchly believes
in making an honest living. However, his is not a good life. A former Union Army sharpshooter, Evans lives in poverty with his wife and two
sons on a ranch, as the lack of
rain has left the land barren.
The situation is worsened when
the deed-holder of the ranch is determined to drive the family off
the land, in order to make way for a new railroad. With the deteriorating
welfare of his family, Evans is beginning to lose the respect of his
eldest son, Will, and even his wife, Alice.
However, the
winds of fortune begin to change in Evans' favour when Ben Wade is caught in
the town of Bisbee. Wade is scheduled to get on the train at 3:10
to Yuma (hence the title) prison, where he is to be tried in Federal
Court. Those escorting him to the train station are running a
large risk, because with Wade's gang still at large and biding their
time to save their leader, it would be a precarious journey just bringing
Wade to the town of Contention, where he is to board the 3:10 train to Yuma.
Evans sees this as his chance to turn his situation around and volunteers to
be part of the escort - for 200 dollars. In the course of the
journey, Wade and Evans develop an unlikely respect for one another,
which leads to the climax in which they have to make their choices.
Director
James Mangold, of critically acclaimed Walk the Line, steers this film
in the right direction. The plot is carefully paced from the meeting
of Wade and Evans, to the thrilling climax of the shootout at the end
of the movie. The plot is definitely a simple one and sometimes
even a bit unbelievable. However what truly impresses is the sterling performance
by Crowe and Bale.
Crowe's
Ben Wade is charismatic, cool and impressive, as he manages to
bring out the complexities of the infamous outlaw, who lives by his own
rules. Ben Wade is so bad, he's good. You will definitely
find yourself in awe of this bad guy. Bale's intense portrayal
of Evans, on the other hand, leaves you convinced of the struggle he is facing between survival
and the desire to gain recognition from his family.
These two
actors have tremendous screen presence and you can expect nothing short
of brilliance from this pairing. Another notable performance is
by Ben Foster, who plays Charlie Prince, Wade's loyal second-in-command.
The
music score by composer Marco Beltrami enhances the suspense of the
plot and the essence of a Western. Visual effects abound and the
movie is very artistically shot.
However, the movie is generally
pretty violent. So if you are the squeamish sort, you may find yourself
perpetually covering your face with your hands. Well, what's
a Western without the occasional shoot ‘em up anyway.
Overall,
3:10 To Yuma is an intense ride through the West. I enjoyed the
character development of Wade and Evans so much that throughout the two-hour film, I found myself having a growing sense of endearment towards
the infamous outlaw and the struggling, honest rancher.
It is also
pretty rare to find Westerns nowadays, so if you want to get a feel of the
old West, 3:10 To Yuma is for you. For me though, Russell Crowe
and Christian Bale are good enough reasons to check this movie out. hooked
hooked's rating: 4/5
Images courtesy of:
Golden Village
www.moviesonline.ca
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