Sure as God's vengeance they're coming

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2009)

Wow. Do I really need to write any more than that? Writing "wow" 2,000 times would serve as a fitting description regarding how I feel after watching this film, twice, for the purpose of this review, but it would also make for a lousy review of such an incredible movie, so I'll do my best to bring justice to what a darn good movie this is. 3:10 to Yuma plays out like a perfectly choreographed dance. It is a film of perfect harmony, tempo, and movement, showcasing film-making and all that implies at such a level of perfection that I don't know how any other movie could ever rival this one in conveying its simplistic plot yet also complex characters with such grace. 3:10 to Yuma could easily have been just another action movie with pretty faces that become progressively bloodier as the film moves along. Instead, the film presents viewers with the unfolding of a new chapter in a man's life and shows the influence that the strength and determination of another can have on even the staunchest and coldest of hearts. 3:10 to Yuma packs quite the emotional punch while maintaining a pace complete with terrific, well-staged action and luscious scenery. This is film-making at its finest.
Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a poor rancher struggling to keep his land. He's nearly broke, and his land is declared worth more with him off of it. One night, those to whom he owes money burn down his barn. He and his two sons head out the next morning to recover their cattle that were driven off by the fire and witness the robbery of a railroad stagecoach orchestrated by the notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). After a brief, tense meeting between Evans and Wade, the two go their separate ways only to meet again in the town of Bisbee where Evans is witness to Wade's arrest. For $200, Evans offers to travel with the gang accompanying Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma, a prison train that will take the criminal to his trial and execution. With Wade's gang hot on their trail, Evans and Wade come to know one another, and each man must choose his own destiny as the hour draws nearer to 3:10. 3:10 to Yuma is absolutely brilliant as a character study on human interaction and the bond that forms between men, a bond that stems from respect for a man's soul and not from the barrel of his gun. The characters of Dan Evans and Ben Wade are anything but archetypical movie characters. While they are simple men on the surface--a poor rancher and a criminal--they reveal a deep and profound sense of humanity, and the slow reveal of this trait, especially in the Wade character, makes for a stunning finale to this film. Wade's revelation is perhaps best epitomized in the film through the theme of his three drawings. I won't tell you what he draws, but when you watch the film, pay attention to them, especially his final drawing. I felt his drawing of each subject represented those things in which he felt peace and comfort, those things that allowed him to, even for an instant, forget he's wanted for 22 armed robberies and believe that he's a simple man enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Taken in this context, I found the ending of the film all the more powerful and relevant. Both Bale and Crowe are brilliant in their performances. Each actor is so good and the chemistry between them and the characters they portray is so strong that even the terse looks each gives the other is literally sometimes worth a thousand words. Watching these two fine performers in action is alone worth the price of admission.
Technically, 3:10 to Yuma is a standout film. As an action film, I was completely impressed with the staging of the action as well as the realism and accuracy in the use of firearms in the film. Anyone that has spent time handling and discharging firearms knows that all too often, Hollywood glamorizes the use of weapons and gives them unrealistic actions and sound effects. This film is one of the most accurate I've seen. I was particularly impressed with the audible quality of the shots. The reverberation and hard hitting sound and power of each shot is amazingly reproduced. Directing the action is James Mangold, who has a wonderful variety of films under his belt, ranging from the edgy and underrated Cop Land to the Oscar winning Girl, Interrupted to the creepy horror flick Identity and finally to the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. This eclectic mix of films shows the director has real talent, that he can venture from one genre to the next, and he has now proved himself worthy in the genre of the Western, one of the most storied and beloved genres in American cinema history. The movie also contains an absolutely wonderful score by Marco Beltrami.