3:10 to Yuma

Synopsis
Based on the Elmore Leonard story, 3:10 TO YUMA is a riveting remake of the 1957 classic Western. It's the story of Dan Evans (Christian Bale), a down-and-out rancher who lost his leg in the Civil War. With a wife and two sons, he is struggling to put food on the table, and unable to make payments on his land. When the notorious gunman Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is apprehended nearby, a few local men are needed to escort him to the town of Contention so he can be put on the 3:10 train to Yuma Prison. Few will volunteer for the job, as they know that Wade's ruthless gang will follow them, but Evans sees an opportunity to make some fast cash, and offers to go in exchange for $200. The small team of men set off, and are later joined by Evans's young son William (Logan Lerman), who has run away from home to join them. What follows is a race against time, as the group tries to get to Yuma without the clever and dangerous Wade outsmarting them.

Crowe is fantastic as the smooth-talking gunman, and Bale delivers a moving performance as the weary-eyed Evans. The two men are perfect foils for each other. Wade is the infamous gunman, living the high life on the wrong side of the law, while Evans, who has struggled to lead an honest life, has only faced one hardship after another. It is a classic tale of good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, and yet, by the story's end, it becomes harder to separate the good guys from the bad. As the clock
ticks down, the film builds to an emotional nail-biter of an ending, reminiscent of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID.

Reviews
"[A] sturdy and enjoyable remake....Director James Mangold amps up the mayhem, going for his version of a Peckinpah frenzy." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Mr. Crowe and Mr. Bale both do excellent work....The action sequences in 3:10 TO YUMA are effective and coherent." (New York Times)

3 stars out of 4 -- "3:10 TO YUMA captures a potent sense of the Old West with its multidimensional raw performances and captivating final shoot-out sequence." (USA Today)

3 stars out of 4 -- "Ben Foster is a nutso wonder...and shout-outs to Peter Fonda as a bounty hunter and Logan Lerman as Dan's needling teen son....Mangold brings it home." (Rolling Stone)

3 stars out of 5 -- "Bale is excellent, playing a hero unmanned by his amputation and eager to prove himself....The film's secondary characters are memorably drawn too..." (Total Film)

3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is Crowe's movie. He invests Wade with a callous streak...but also flashes of humanity..." (Empire)

4 stars out of 5 -- "The ever-improving Bale matches Crowe scene for scene, and his portrayal of a proud man devising the only possible escape from his sea of troubles is genuinely moving." (Uncut)

"[A] classical piece of storytelling....All the old archetypes and oppositions are here. What Mangrove proves is that when they are tackled with passion and conviction, they seem as fresh as ever." (Sight and Sound)

"Mangold has brought welcome intensity to the project, giving 3:10 TO YUMA a visceral, immediate quality that makes it all realistic and mythic all at the same time." (Los Angeles Times)

"James Mangold's mixture is physical and sensuous in the modern manner, playing on extreme tonalities in both the landscape and the violence..." (Film Comment)

5 stars out of 5 -- "A magnificent Western....It drips with understated menace and tension and explores three-dimensional characters that are painted in shades of grey..." (Ultimate DVD)