Tense, exciting, and unpredictable.

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2008)

Prior to now, I can reasonably say that I had never watched a Western film. I had, however, watched the Lonesome Dove miniseries which I enjoyed. So, I took a risk and an adventurous first step and watched the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. Unlike my expectations, the film was very good. Ben Wade was a very memorable villain. I'll discuss that more a bit later.
What I found most exciting about this film was Ben Wade, as I stated earlier. He is a very cunning and unpredictable villain. We sympathize with him and understand how he behaves. I mean, who could kill some guy while in handcuffs? Russell Crowe's performance was top-notch. Of all the movie villains I've see from General Grievous to Sauron, I'll always remember Ben Wade for his well-roundedness and three dimensionality. Furthermore, his sympathy with Dan was perfect. It was actually realistic; a reason I've been wary of Westerns. Even Lonesome Dove suffered from fantastical situations and character relationships. This isn't to say that Dan was a subsidiary character. Christian Bale did well in this role, and his accent was surprisingly believable. However, his importance was marginalized in favor of Ben Wade.Still,I'm impressed with the variety of Bale's film roles. He is a real actor,not a movie star.Interestingly, this film is similar to the first Batman film. The villains are the focus and the heroes serve to develop them in various ways. Finally, I loved how the film ended. Both Wade and Evans had conclusions to their characters. It was a tragic ending that actually worked. Ben probably escaped and Dan put him on the train.
Another point of interest is the music. Most films from last year, with the exception of Sunshine, didn't have I-pod worthy underscoring music. This one was an exception. The music raised the tension and never felt overbearing. It also accompanied the situations well. I've thought that music can be a way of characterization, just look at Darth Vader's theme. This film is similar. Though not for individual characters, the music prepares us for the various chase sequences that occur. As with the music, the editing was good too. Most of the film is in long shots, which heighten the tension of the shootout sequences. This was especially well done when Wade and Evans were in the hotel room. This scene also provided a frame-within-a-frame which added greater effect to the scene. Mangold has proved himself a skilled filmmaker, and worthy of a viewing.
This was a great experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. So much, that I plan to watch the original and Mangold's other films. I cannot compare it to the original or the Elmore Leonard short story. Also, this movie doesn't suffer from any overbearing plot holes. Everything is resolved. However, as entertaining as the film is, I would forgive any minor misrepresentations of the original work. I have heard that the woman from the bar had a more important role in the original film. If you're looking for a modern action film, you can't do much better than this one. Both it and its original were well-received. It's definitely worth a viewing and a spot in your collection.