Twenty-first century remake of classic western.

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2007)

A remake should always add something extra to the original and this one does. New characters, old characters with different roles or emphasis and played by contemporary actors, authentic-looking production design and locations, and colour all add up to an entertaining and exciting picture, and well worth seeing.
Russell Crowe is Ben Wade, leader of a gang of outlaws who open the film by robbing the stage and then riding brazenly into town to tell the law about the robbery, omitting their own part in it naturally., the posse then going off to chase after the robbers. Wade, however, lingers a little too long in town, having made a conquest of the saloon's (female) bartender, and is kept talking by impoverished rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) until he can be arrested. Now Wade must be taken to Contention City and put on the 3:10 train to Yuma after which a likely hanging awaits. Evans needs the money on offer for being part of the escort.
The rest of the film tells what happens on the trail, with some wonderful set pieces like the incident in the railroad worker's camp, and climaxes in a brutal shoot-out at the railroad station with unexpected consequences.
But there are quieter moments too, especially in the hotel room (where Wade is being held to await the train), exploring the developing relationship between Wade and Evans in response to events.
But how does it compare with the original version from Delmer Daves? Well, in that film the leads are played by Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, giving standout performances, with Wade's lieutenant Charlie Prince here played by Richard Jaeckel, a less ruthless characterisation than that of Ben Foster in the 2007 version.
The black and white cinematography is so good that you quickly settle for it not being in colour, and the slower-paced story allows more time for character development even within a shorter running time.
The scenes between Glenn Ford and bartender Felicia Farr are outstanding and the two male stars are, I believe, more charismatic than their modern counterparts, with character actors Robert Emhardt and Henry Jones also good. There is also an appropriately mournful song from Frankie Laine sung over the credits. The new picture has been criticised for some implausible moments but the 1957 film also has its ambiguities. No-one guesses that the drunken stranger sleeping it off with a newspaper over his face in the hotel lobby where Heflin is holding Ford might be a member of the gang on a spying mission. And the hotel scenes take place between 11 till 3 yet the shadows in the street are long and not short as they ought to be when the sun is high in the sky.
But these reservations apart, the 1957 version is, in my opinion, superior, and one of the classic Westerns, compared to the new one which is very good but for me falls somewhat short of classic status, but certainly one of the best 'modern' westerns.
And Glenn Ford has the best hat.