3:10 to Yuma

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2008)

I knew that this movie was a remake of 1957 classic western movie. I normally do not like re-makes because they are never well made or come anywhere near the patch of the original. But this being a western  I love western movies  and that too released after so long, I was much more than excited to venture out to see this one.
Ben Wade (Russel Crowe) is an outlaw - robs money and kills people. He is brutal, but this complex character has also some humane side to him. He has his gang with his deputy as Charlie Prince (Ben Foster). They rob cattle from a ranch of Dan Evans (Christian Bale). Dan goes after Ben to get his cattle back and in process becomes ends up in getting Ben arrested. Their tasks is to put Ben on the train at 3:10 pm to Yuma  where he would be hanged. How they take Ben there becomes the remainder of the story.
I liked the moral twist the story brings at the end where Ben helps Dan to take him till the train, so that he can set an example to his son  that his Dad did not take bribe nor he was afraid of the outlaws.
All characterization of the movie was absorbing - especially of Ben Wade, and his relationship with Dan Evans; they share a complex form of understanding. Both of the two main protagonist Russel Crowe and Christian Bale have done equal justice to the role  beautifully portrayed. Ben Foster as the deputy was intense and a pleasure to watch.
The cinematography of any western movie landscape is mindblowing and so was for this movie. The ruggedness, the dirt, the soil, the horses  I just loved all of it. A treat to watch such movies on a big screen.
Director James Mangold did a fantastic job in making this remake. As I have not seen the original I don't have any words to compare with. But this movie is technically excellent and has a larger time space of 122 minutes (compared to 92 minutes of the original)  so that is nice.
One observation  why should anyone try to protect an outlaw and take so much pain to take him to a train station; in the process  let soooo many people die and killed anyways the outlaw is going to be hanged. Very stupid and silly  I say of those people and director.
But, I overlook this stupidity, otherwise there is no story, no adventure, no action and no pleasure given to audiences to watch two excellent actors in the backdrop of a western setting  on a BIG screen.
I thought of writing this review after I saw the original too, but later changed my mind. I will see the original later and write my comparative review covering both the movies  sometime later.
(Stars 7.25 out of 10)