Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer takes a (belated) look at the merits of 3:10 to Yuma
Extolling the virtues of the remake of 3:10 to Yuma makes me feel as relevant and timely as the lookout at Pearl Harbor. The film has been in release for a month, but I was in Beijing when it opened. Having blabbered endlessly about the demise of the western film, I thought I should be among those who actually supported this film by seeing it in the theater. I was prepared to like it, but midway through I had to pinch myself to insure that I was actually seeing that rarest of birds:a great, new western. I won't belabor readers with a detailed synposis of a movie that has already been widely discussed and reviewed. The story simply focuses on a financially desperate rancher (Christian Bale) who can't provide for his family. He signs on to help escort a notorious killer and outlaw (Russell Crowe) to a distant town where he will be put aboard a train for Yuma Prison. In between arec murderous Apaches, double-crossing mercenaries and the outlaw's ruthless gang of cutthroats who are determined to free him. What makes Yuma so wonderful to experience is the fact that it is remarkable because it is so unremarkable. This is not a revisionist, hip western that tries to mock the genre. It's as traditional as you can get. James Mangold is the director of record, but one suspects the ghosts of Henry Hathaway and John Sturges had their hands on the tiller. Mangold has studied the genre and gets every aspect right. Not only is every performance terrific, but the cast looks like it was dragged through sagebrush instead of having basted a few hours in Beverly Hills spa. Crowe and Bale are superb, with the former giving a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination as the charismatic killer. The supporting cast is just as impressive, with a virtually unrecognizable Peter Fonda playing the grizzled incarnation of Grant Withers and Harry Carey Jr. A wonderful character actor named Ben Foster creates one of the most notorious western bad guys since Jack Palance in Shane.
The film invokes all the mainstays of great westerns, including the time-honored plot device of having a ticking clock count down the minutes until the train arrives in town. These scenes will remind you of the best westerns from High Noon to Last Train From Gun Hill. Aside from the richly drawn characters, the movie also has some terrific technical achievements. Every aspect of the production design is completely realistic, from the dusty clothing to the creaky floorboards of the local saloons. The sound effects are also impressive, particularly in the spectacularly-staged final shootout. You feel like ducking for cover under your seat as the bullets whiz by seemingly non-stop.
Congratulations to all involved: 3:10 to Yuma is among the best of the scant crop of westerns made in recent years. Like Unforgiven and Open Range, it lingers long after the credits have rolled. Saddle up and see it in a theater while you still can.