3:10 to Yuma

Rating: 6/10 (19 October 2014)

I saw the original 1957 Glenn Ford/Van Heflin version a few years ago, and I remembered the two leading actors of this remake, I was interested to see how it would compare, directed by James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted; Walk the Line, Knight and Day, The Wolverine). Basically in August 1884, rancher, Civil War veteran and broken man Dan Evans (Christian Bale) rides into the town of Brisbee, where he owes powerful man Glen Hollander (Lennie Loftin) a large amount of money for the purchase of his land, while there he witnesses a stagecoach robbery led by famed outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). Following this heist the criminal is captured, for a fee of $200 Evans agrees with coach owner Grayson Butterfield (Dallas Buyers Club's Dallas Roberts) to escort Wade to the town of Contention to be delivered to the authorities, there he will board the 3:10 train to Yuma to be transported to his trial, Evans does this to save his land, but also to prove himself as more than a naive rancher to his impulsive gunslinging adolescent son William Evans (Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief's Logan Lerman). Also enlisted in the posse are Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), Doc Potter (A Knight's Tale's Alan Tudyk) and Tucker (Kevin Durand), and during the journey they are attacked by Apaches, members of the posse are killed for their treachery, and throughout they are followed by Wade's criminal gang, with new leader Charlie Prince (The Mechanic's Ben Foster), who are trying to rescue their boss, but also Evans finds himself getting closer as a friend to Wade, and of course the father and son connection is improving. In the end the father, his son and the outlaw do make it on time for the arrival for the 3:10 to Yuma, but the gang catch up to them, the villains are defeated, but Evans is mortally wounded and dies in his sons arms, feeling remorseful Wade decides to freely hand himself in to the authorities and board the train, following a trial he will most likely face execution. Also starring Gretchen Mol as Alice Evans, Vinessa Shaw as Emma Nelson and Luke Wilson as Zeke. Bale gives a good performance as the understated but hard rancher, and Crowe is also good as the dark sided man with some morals, I admit I was not engaged with absolutely all the conversations and more focused in the guns blazing, showdown and chase sequences, significantly different to the original, but a worthwhile western. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Music for Marco Beltrami and Best Sound Mixing. Good!