Yesterday I saw 3:10 To Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and directed by James Mangold. I went in with fairly low expectations, as I have never been a fan of the Western genre, but at the same time I still expected a reasonable film...
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Yesterday I saw 3:10 To Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and directed by James Mangold. I went in with fairly low expectations, as I have never been a fan of the Western genre, but at the same time I still expected a reasonable film based on the fact that it was directed by one of the directors that I quite admire the work of. In case you didn't know, James Mangold is the director of Girl Interrupted and Walk The Line, two of my most favourite films. In particular, Girl Interrupted struck a chord with me, and Angelina Jolies's performance in it was nothing short of illuminary.
Having said all of that, I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised. 3:10 To Yuma basically tells the story of Dan Evans (Christian Bale), a struggling rancher who lost a leg in the Civil War. In exchange for payment which will allow him to save his farm, he volunteers to escort the known mass-murdering outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) onto the 3:10pm prison train to Yuma for hanging. The task turns out to be a death mission for most of the escort, who are systematically killed by the ruthless Wade during the journey. Just to add more difficulty to the journey, the remaining members of the escort must also avoid detection by the members of Wade's gang who are out to rescue Wade.
Although the premise of this movie is simple, it is the developing bond and frienship between Evans and Wade that really made the movie for me. Although I am not a fan of Christian Bale, he was quite excellent as the tormented Evans, haunted by his feelings of failure throughout his life: the growing rift between him and his oldest son, the loss of relationship between him and his wife, the fear of losing his youngest son who suffers from turburculosis, and the fear of losing his farm. He has a real presence on-screen that makes you respect him, both as a character and as an actor.
However, for me, the movie was all about Russell. I have always had a soft spot for Russell, whether this is due to my general weakness for bad boys, or his acting ability is harder to determine. On-screen Russell becomes Ben Wade; he is cold, calculating, irrisistable. I have heard a critic describe Russell based on his performance as being "an acting genuis" and although I do think that Russell has made some less than great films, he has definitely had his moments.
I loved the ending of this film, as unrealistic as it was. It made the whole journey worthwhile, and gives you confidence that not even the baddest man in the west is all bad. There is no clear theme of redemption, guilt, atonement, friendship or loyalty in this film; all those themes are there, but this is not the film that they are explored in. This is just a film to show the event and, in many ways, allows you to draw your own conclusions.
So, don't discount this film simply because it is a Western. James Mangold is going from strength to strength as a director, and the acting in this film is worth a look.