Filmgasm.com's 3:10 to Yuma Review

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2007)

By: Jordan Appugliesi
The last WESTERN we've had in recent memory was Bandidas. Yes, the hot spicy Mexican chica's that made that film bearable and cheesy to watch; but its been a while since we've had a rough, fun, old fashioned western film and 3:10 To Yuma was the perfect way to maybe, restart that genre? (wanted or not). From the director of my favorite film of all time, James Mangold, comes 3:10 To Yuma, an old fashioned western that is biting with social commentary on wealth and poverty, full of action and fierce dialogue, and great action with a fantastic score and cinematography to boot. Westerns are films that are cheesy through out, but fitting and never laughable, usually do to its great actors.
Russell Crowe hasn't been this good in years and Christian Bale just adds another great film to his resume of already fantastic work. They both have great chemistry, and as all great hero's and arch enemies do, they have this respect for each other and understanding even though they are both at the tipping point of a shoot off between each other. Again, both are just fantastic and you kinda seem to ask were Crowe has been all these years, his last great film was a Beautiful Mind in 2001 or for those who were a fan of it, unlike myself, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. This seems to be his year too, with this and the highly anticipated gangster drama, American Gangster, with Denzel Washington coming out later this year. (Yes I know he had Cinderella Man but that went missed).
Also the supporting cast is fantastic, with Henry Fonda who isn't on screen more than 20 minutes he is maybe the most memorable, Ben Foster is absolutely despicable, in the best way; his character is horrible but he plays him fantastically and this maybe his breakout role that will make him a household name. Everyone else was fantastic, even Luke Wilson; he makes a little cameo and it's great. The action is sparse but when its there it is memorable and thrilling, but to me the dialogue was much more fantastic because again, these two men have respect for each other, while hating each other at the same time, and Crowe and Bale have fantastic chemistry to make it work. We deal with issues of Father/Son relationships, class levels, and just plain "who kills a guy faster with their gun" arguments (for your information, Crowe takes the gun award).
The score is fantastic, very old fashioned and just classic, from the wardrobe to the dialogue it feels fresh and isn't an outcast in todays Blackberry era but it also feels like it's a classic old fashioned western that we have all seen on TV once or twice, at the least. The ending is fantastic, with again I sound like a broken record but say it with me, a gold OLD FASHIONED shoot out show down that is without a doubt the icing on this fantastic cake. 3:10 To Yuma screams the beginning of award season and it literally makes me want to run out and by my tickets for the other big contenders for the rest of the year, like my highly anticipated The Brave One and the rest of the contenders. So next week, go and take the 3:10 to Award Season because you won't be disappointed.