murky dusty dark western

Rating: 8/10 (2 March 2015)

Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is an one-legged Civil War veteran. He lives on a dusty ranch with wife Alice (Gretchen Mol), sons William (Logan Lerman) and Mark. He owes money to Glen Hollander and his men burn down his barn. Hollander first steals his water and then steals his land for the coming railroad. Dan and his boys go to confront Hollander. Bandits led by Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) rob a heavily armed stage coach driven by Pinkerton Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda). The Evans boys come across the scene and robbed of their horses. Wade's gang stays at the town of Bisbee. Dan Evans means to shoot Hollander but helps capture Wade instead. The coach owner hires Dan for $200 as well as others to deliver Wade to prison. There's a train coming 3:10 to Yuma Prison.
These are some terrific dark murky characters. Bale is absolutely amazing. Crowe needs slightly more menace. Foster is also terrific. The great thing about this movie is the murky morality of everybody. It's not just simple good and bad. Wade is not the stereotypical villain. Dan Evans is not just a straight forward white hat. He's stubborn but he's no hero in his regular life. He is desperate for money and pushed around by powerful men. The atmosphere is dripping with moody tension. It's brutal, violent and unforgiving.