3:10 to Yuma

FLICK Whether you’re a fan of westerns or not, you should giddy up and go see 3:10 to Yuma, director James Mangold’s remake of the 1957 classic based on a short story by Elmore Leonard. Mangold has reinvented the Van Heflin and Glenn Ford oater, replacing those stars with today’s finest, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, focusing more on character than the state of the Union and giving us one of the best shoot-‘em-up action flicks of the year.
Bale is Dan Evans, a down-on-his-luck rancher who has hopes to earn a large reward by escorting captured outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) on a two-day journey and putting him on the train to Yuma, where he will be hanged. But as they cross the beautiful and vivid landscape, the challenge is to avoid the rescue attempts of Wade’s gang, led by his second in command, Charlie Prince, played with psychopathic gusto by Ben Foster.
The filmmaking is as strong as a sarsaparilla spiked with whiskey, and the actors never waver, excelling shot for shot. Bale gives another outstanding performance this year (see also Rescue Dawn) and emotes the right amount of intensity and determination to balance the perceived shortcoming of a man with a missing leg. He will do anything to support his wife and sons but without over sentimentalizing the fact.
Ben Wade is regarded as the meanest man around, and though Crowe exudes confidence his image is softened when we see his sketches of birds. His complexity is exposed when he draws a picture of Dan sitting in a chair on the inside cover of the Bible, showing a reverence to the man turning him in to the law. Perhaps he’s contemplating what life would be like if the shoe was on the other foot. When Dan confides to Ben about his leg and the perception of heroism, their bond is complete and Ben is committed to helping a greater good.
Foster makes the biggest bang as Prince who is intensely devoted to saving Ben. With little background to their friendship, Foster gives us the impression that they are more than just chums – at least in his mind. Whether it’s the sensitive sketch artist or the rough and ready gunslinger he’s attracted to, Foster lets us presume there is a personal history regarding his feelings for his pardner with just a few glances. After all he’s literally saving Ben’s ass from getting shot.
Round up Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Dallas Roberts, and Alan Tudyk and this corral of strong supporting performances is way more than OK. Smart direction, stunning cinematography and character connections that never miss their mark elevate an otherwise standard cowboy movie and squarely hit a bull’s-eye. My Score: 9 out of 10.