by Janet Sandford

Created on: June 07, 2009

3:10 to Yuma is a remake of a film of the same name. The original was shown in 1957 and based on the story by Elmore Leonard which I am sure all you lovers of westerns will know. The modern version, while revelling in all the most entertaining conventions of its genre, it strives and achieves a deeper look into moral psychology. On one level it is about gunfights, shiny spurs and saloon poker games but on another, it's a film about the vague lines between right and wrong, and the law in an unruly border land.

Director James Mangold (Walk the Line) brings us another film that deals with the American West and the personal search for respect and salvation. The story is simple enough. Dan Evans ( Christian Bale) is a wounded Civil War veteran and a rancher from Arizona. He has fallen on hard times and is about to lose his ranch to the Southern Pacific Railway who are bringing the railroad to the town of Bisbee. In the eyes of his teenage son (Logan Lerman) his dad comes across as a bit of a loser and he wishes he was more like the heroes of the Old West stories he used to buy for a dime. Seeking to prove himself Dan falls upon an important chance to redeem himself.


Ben Wade, (Russell Crowe) a notorious outlaw and threat to the railway, has just been captured in Bisbee. One of the Southern Pacific's railway men hopes to free the region from this infamous pest by offering a handsome reward to any man who is willing to join a posse to safely transport Wade to prison. Evans jumps at the chance but the task is harder than it seems. For a start it is a three day trek to the town of Contention where Wade has to be put on the 3:10 train to the Federal Court in Yuma. The journey promises to be a dangerous one. Not only will it be plagued with hostile Indians, railroad scoundrels, as well as the violent gang of fugitives determined to release - Wade - before he his put on the train.

As the momentous journey plays out, bullets fly and blood pours. The posse finds Wade to be deadly even when tied, gagged and without his gun. As the dead bodies pile up, Evans becomes determined to be the only man left standing with Wade - the man who actually hands him over to the law.

From the beginning of the film, it is clear that the interaction betwen Evans and Wade isn't going to be your typical battle of enemies. Wade seems to have respect for Evans. He sees him as a law abiding family man driven only by his wish to protect his land and integrity. Likewise, Evans seems indifferent

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