A Movie Review: 3:10 To Yuma

"Then someone ought to have the decency to bring him in," is how Daniel Evans (Christian Bale) answers the threat of the West's most dangerous outlaw.

3:10 to Yuma is the newest western movie on the block. The trailer promised action, humor, drama, and flying lead. The movie follows the group of six makeshift bodyguards that are escorting the Old West's most dangerous criminal, Ben Wade, to the train station. Daniel Evans, a poor rancher, volunteers his ex-Civil War soldier skills to help bring the criminal to justice. The six throw off the scent of Wade's pursuing posse and make a beeline for the train station. Along the way, the fight amongst each other, ward off Indian attacks, and plow through vengeful railroaders - all while trying to stay out of the clutches of Wade's gang. As the six are whittled down one by one and the gang's hatred grows, it's a wonder who will take Wade to the station or if they'll even get there at all.

I am a casual fan of westerns - especially McClintock and Tombstone. I am also a big fan of the Old West since I live in it. And I must say, wow, what a movie. Not only was the history (not the characters, but the setting) correct, but the storyline was impressive. It wasn't one of those movies where it's nothing but a big gunfight. This story had drama, the characters were human, and the plot was gripping.

Russell Crowe does a nice job of playing the arrogant, cunning criminal Ben Wade. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of Crowe, but in this movie he did a great job. Christian Bale did a fantastic job of making the poor, ex-soldier, rancher, Daniel Evans leap off the screen. Logan Lermen played an excellent son of Daniel Evans. The way he shows how his character matures throughout the movie is a nice overall touch to a subplot of the movie. Ben Foster plays the criminal side-kick, Charlie Prince, as good as any psychotic gunman could. Overall, I thought the cast was chosen very appropriately.

The plot itself is high-tension. The moviemakers do a nice job with the gunfights. The movie is shot in such a way that the viewer is able to see where every person has been stationed during a fight, while the good guys remain oblivious. I found myself gripping the armrests of my seat thinking, "Don't go there! You'll get shot!" One thing that I noticed was that before the serious action, the director places an unearthly quiet and calm before the bang. This was very effective. I actually jumped out of my seat - something that I don't do often.

The setting was amazing. My favorite shot had to be one of an incoming thunderstorm. You couldn't believe how blue the clouds were and how lush the landscape was. The viewer is also allowed several glimpses of canyons in the background, which adds a nice touch to the scenes.

The only setback I noticed was the loose ends. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I hoped it would be. There were several threads of the story left unattended. I supposed it was because there was talk of a sequel somewhere due to the fact that there were so many threads. But if there is no sequel, the ending leaves room for the viewer to speculate what happened afterwards. Sequel or no, the movie was a little watered down by the ending, but I am still very pleased with the overall movie.

All in all, 3:10 to Yuma is a fun revival of the Old West. Gunfights, cowboys, blood, romance, and justice - nothing defines the American West in such high-strung glory. 3:10 to Yuma has got all the above and then some.