generationofswine
Most of the time I hate remakes....but I give a big pass to most Western and War movie remakes.Mainly that's because, until M*A*S*H early war movies had soldiers that looked like they stepped out of the shower and put on a freshly laundered uniform...you know, instead of the realities of life in combat zones.And the same goes with Westerns, the cowpokes may be riding the range...yet they look like they had the time to shower, shave, style their hair, and press their clothes.None of that really sat right with me...at all.The remake righted that wrong.And it did it without killing the wonderful Elmore Leonard story the movie was based on and let's be honest, he really has the best ideas for crime and western stories the world has ever seen.
Anssi Vartiainen
A remake of the 1957 film of the same name. A poor and struggling rancher (Christian Bale) agrees to join the escort for a big time robber king (Russell Crowe) that is being taken to a prison train in Yuma. While at the same time the robber's gang plot his escape.3:10 to Yuma can be seen as a love letter to old time westerns. Being a remake it of course uses pretty much the same conventions, story lines and characters as those films, but it gives it a new look, a new coat of paint if you will. Higher budget means fancier clothes, more detailed sets and a larger pixel count. Which is of course appreciated.Russell Crowe is also at the top of his game. A fine character and fitting Crowe's usual mannerisms perfectly. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Bale. I'm usually a fan of his, but he also has certain mannerisms he cannot escape. And here they didn't serve to make the character more interesting. Quite the opposite.There's also the problem that they tried to modernize the values of the story a bit too much. I haven't seen the original, but from what I can surmise, it was pretty typical as far as westerns go. Tough as hide heroes, nefarious villains, strong pioneer women. Whereas this film tries to throw in rebellious teenagers, racial commentary, evil land barons, Native Americans, hidden hearts of gold and a twist ending meant to tug at your heartstrings. Making the whole film feel bloated and disjointed as far as values and themes go.Still, for a remake this ain't half bad and for a modern western it's surprisingly good. Plus I freely admit that the film was mostly ruined for me because I found Bale's character and his son so annoying. That will probably not be the case for most viewers.
ivo-cobra8
3:10 to Yuma (2007) it is a fine western film from Russell Crowe and Christian Bale directed by James Mangold. It is a remake of the 1957 film of the same name, making it the second adaptation of Elmore Leonard's short story "Three-Ten to Yuma". Filming took place in various locations in New Mexico. 3:10 to Yuma opened September 7, 2007, in the United States and received positive reviews from critics.I am big fan of Russell Crowe and I love his movies and this was his second western film he did. The first one was in 1995 The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone which is definitely one of my favorite western films. I love Clint Eastwood western films such a: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales. I love Young Guns, Tombstone, I already mentioned The Quick and the Dead, 3:10 to Yuma is also one of my favorite western films today. This movie is about so many things. Good and Evil (or right and wrong) and the blurry line that sometimes separates them, what drives a man toward one or the other. It's about desperation and self-preservation. Ben Wade is a criminal who from the first moment in the story we see has redeeming qualities, and as many criminals, he is also charming. Dan Evans is a good man, who comes close more than once to crossing that blurry line, out of desperation. There is Evan's boy, who is in a position to choose a hero (there are no heroes in this film). There is a lot at stake for both "sides" in this movie. While there are some negative opinions about the ending, I don't think it would have been satisfactory any other way.The pacing is good, the movie goes fast around it is not boring or overlong, the acting from everyone is solid, the action is good. I like the chemistry between Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. I must say Russell Crow is a talented actor and his movies are really good of course he is not great like is Keanu Reeves but he is way better than fat pig Arnold today. I love the characters in this movie and the chemistry between two leads (Crowe and Bale).3:10 to Yuma is a good western movie some say it is a classic I don't think it is, but it is close to a classic. We have a lots of shootouts and of course a real explosions. Ben Wade and Dan Evens are fine characters to watch, we have Peter Fonda as a bounty hunter Byron McElroy. This was a damn good western movie and I wish they would make more movies like are this one today. I hated Django Unchained to death I thought that movie sucked a hairy dick but this movie was a fine western that I was blown away. I had no clue this was even up for Oscar nominations. But, I can certainly see why with such a competent script, great storytelling, and even greater characters played impeccably by Bale and Crowe. I particularly enjoyed watching the chemistry that grew between them as the film progressed, which was elaborated upon even better due to their opposing personalities (Evans being the giver, and Wade being the taker). In fact, there were many a scene that I'd like to say I found thoroughly heroic and almost inspiring, in a sort of bittersweet retrospect, but at the expense of not ruining some of the more dramatic plot twists, I'll leave the viewing to you, the audience. The film presents a terrific balance of action, drama, and character development, all while being very realistic to the old west in terms of design and production. Aesthetically speaking, I'd probably go so far as to call it the best looking Western to date. Critically, I'd almost put it as one of my all-time favorite films, but I thought the overall length was just a tad too short for all the material to really stick with me by film's end. The rating I give to this film is 8/10. Anything under 7 would be ridiculous, as anyone claiming this isn't at least a GOOD western film (it is sure as hell better than all the remakes like Django Unchained that get high scores) needs their head examined. I give it another point because what it does attempt to do it accomplishes so easily and perfectly. (For reference, I gave Eastwood movies a ten.) Any true weakness it has is simply that it's just an western movie, and that's it. It's hard to say anything bad (other than nitpicks) about the film itself.3:10 to Yuma is a 2007 American Western film directed by James Mangold and produced by Cathy Konrad, and starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in the lead roles, with supporting performances by Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk, Vinessa Shaw, and Logan Lerman. It is about a drought-impoverished rancher (Bale) who takes on the dangerous job of taking a notorious outlaw (Crowe) to justice. 8/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Lionsgate Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk, Vinessa Shaw, Logan Lerman Director: James Mangold Producer: Cathy Konrad Screenplay: Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas Based on Three-Ten to Yuma by Elmore Leonard Rated: R Running Time: 2 Hrs. 02 Mins. Budget: $55.000.000 Box Office: $53,606,916
