For those that just don't seem to get it... this is a remake of the 1957 version. A 50th anniversary present, possibly.

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2009)

*******SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS*********** The following is the plot/summary of the original version: Synopsis
In the Arizona Territory of the 1880s, rancher Dan Evans (Van Heflin) and his young sons witness a stagecoach holdup. When the driver, Bill Moons (Boyd Stockman), overpowers one of the robbers and uses him as a human shield, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford), the leader of the gang, callously shoots both men.
Wade and his men stop at the saloon in nearby Bisbee, posing as cowhands. When Wade stays too long to become acquainted with the pretty barmaid, Emmy (Felicia Farr), he is captured, but his henchman, Charlie Prince (Richard Jaeckel) gets away with the news. The townspeople fear what his men will do, so the marshal (Ford Rainey) decides to have two volunteers sneak the prisoner to Contention City to catch a train, the 3:10 to Yuma. Mr. Butterfield (Robert Emhardt), the stage-line owner, offers $200 for the dangerous job. Desperate after three years of drought, Dan jumps at the opportunity, but the only other man interested is the town drunk, Alex Potter (Henry Jones). When no one else steps forward, the marshal reluctantly accepts them.
Wade is placed on a stagecoach, which then stops (in view of some of the gang) for a faked repair; the outlaw is secretly taken off while the stage continues on with an imposter, in the hopes that by the time the outlaws figure out what has happened, it will be too late. Wade is taken to Dan's ranch, where Dan's devoted wife Alice (Leora Dana) serves supper to the family and their "guest".
Dan, Alex, and Wade leave under cover of darkness, reaching Contention City at daybreak. Butterfield has reserved a room at the hotel. While they wait for the train, Wade tries several times to bribe Dan into letting him go. Dan is greatly tempted. The local sheriff is out of town, but Butterfield hires five men to help escort the prisoner to the train.
Things go awry when Bob Moons (Sheridan Comerate) barges in unexpectedly and threatens to shoot his brother's killer. Dan wrestles his gun away from him, but in the struggle, it goes off. Downstairs, Charlie Prince, who has also come to Contention City, hears the gunshot, and spots Wade in a window. Charlie is seen riding off to fetch the rest of the gang.
The men Butterfield recruited watch as seven riders enter the town. Not liking the odds, they retreat, leaving only Dan, Alex and Butterfield. When Alex goes out to reconnoiter, he spots one of Wade's men on a rooftop opposite the hotel. Alex calls out, warning Dan, but is shot in the back by Prince. The gang hangs the wounded Alex from the lobby chandelier, killing him. Butterfield decides that maintaining Wade as a prisoner is not worth the risk, and releases Dan from his obligation. Alice arrives and also tries to change her husband's mind, but he is committed: "The town drunk gave his life because he believed that people should be able to live in decency and peace together. You think I can do less?"
When the clock strikes three, Dan escorts Wade out the back door. Gang members take shots whenever they can without endangering Wade, but despite their best efforts, they cannot stop the pair from reaching the platform, where the train is waiting. Finally, the outlaws emerge to confront Dan as the train starts to leave. Charlie shouts for Wade to drop to allow them a clear shot at Dan. Instead, Wade unexpectedly tells Dan to jump into the passing baggage car. They jump together. The gang starts to run after the train, but Dan shoots Charlie and the rest then let it go. Wade explains himself, saying he felt he owed Dan for protecting him from Bob Moons in the hotel room, and confidently claiming he has broken out of the Yuma jail before (implying he can do so again), but whether these statements reflect his true motivations and prospects is not clear. Alice sees Dan safe on the train as rain pours down on her, breaking the long drought. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=3374650
The differences are mainly that the son is along in this, the wife is less present, Dan dies in this one, and Ben kills the whole crew rather than just Charilie. In the remake, it did appear like Ben was about to draw on Ben Wade, once he defended himself against him, he had to take the others out, being they, too, were attempting to draw, it's called self-preservation. He wasn't on the train, yet, as he was in the original version. Plus, he plans on escaping in both versions. In this version, he gets to keep all the money, and he let the other man look like a hero. It's idealism, you don't need realism in everything. Just because it's not a fantasy genre, doesn't make it not. Movies are just that. Not every movie is based on fact. Actually, even the 'based on' movies aren't always 100% fact. I didn't need to suspend belief for a moment, I've seen too many westerns, horror flicks, gangster movies, thrillers, romances, sci-fi etc, etc, etc to expect anything other than to be entertained. When a movie fails to do that, then that is when it has failed. Only, then.
This was a good film and it did make you care for the characters, and because I was able to get it, I cried. Not too many movies have done that to me, lately.