310toyuma2007

AC/AL/SV 2007 117m ENG 55m

CAST: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk, Vinessa Shaw, Logan Lerman, Kevin Durandt, Benjamin Petry & Luce Rains

CREDITS: Director: James Mangold; Screenwriters: Halsted Welles/Michael Brandt & Derek Haas, based on the short story by Elmore Leonard; Producer: Cathy Konrad; Director of Photography: Phedon Papamichael; Production Designer: Andrew Menzies; Editor: Michael McCusker; Costume Designer: Arianne Phillips; Music: Marco Beltrami

THE SYNOPSIS

The Arizona Territory, 1870s.

Dan Evans (Bale), a former Union Army sharpshooter, lives in a modest ranch with his wife Alice (Mol) and two sons, older Will (Lerman) and younger Mark (Petry). An ongoing drought has rendered Dan's land barren, decimating his herd, driving him deeper into debt and leaving his family on the brink of starvation.

Notorious but charming outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe), is captured after his recent-most robbery along the Southern Pacific Railroad way. A brilliant strategist and natural leader, Wade commands undying loyalty among his men, particularly his second-in-command, the ruthless gunslinger Charlie Prince (Foster).

Seizing the opportunity to save his ranch and his family, Dan hires himself out to the posse. Leading the expedition is crusty veteran bounty hunter Byron McElroy (Fonda), Southern Pacific Railroad representative Grayson Butterfield (Roberts), local thug Tucker (Durand) and Doc Potter (Tudyk), a gentle veterinarian with little taste for violence.

The posse is to escort Wade to the town of Contention (a 3-day journey), where Wade will be loaded onto the 3:10PM train equipped with a prison car and bound for Yuma, Arizona for trial…and probable execution in Federal Court. Thus begins a battle of wills between Dan & Wade, with the elements, the journey, unfriendly Native Indians, Prince & Wade’s gang in tow and Dan’s own son Will tagging along—all of which make for a dangerous, tension-filled journey.

Will Dan get Wade onto that train before the 3:10 takes off? Who lives and who dies? See the movie and find out!

THE CRITIQUE

The $55,000,000 remake of the late Delmer Daves’ 1957 yarn of the same name (starring the late, great Glenn Ford & Van Heflin in the Ben Wade & Dan Evans roles, respectively) is a mixed saddle bag.

For the most part, the 2007 version of 3:10 TO YUMA works as an entertaining chase movie, replete with genre conventions and Western cliches (which is not necessarily a bad thing, mind you). As helmed with workman-like skill by director James Mangold (Walk The Line/Identity/Girl, Interrupted/Copland), it recalls the kinds of Westerns that Paramount and Republic made back in the olden days.

Interestingly, both movies were written by TV scribe Halstead Welles, with the original based on an Elmore Leonard story and the remake being co-written by screenwriting team Michael Brandt & Derek Haas (2 Fast 2 Furious/Spy Hunter). The result is a rugged genre story--nothing more, nothing less.

On the downside, YUMA’s soft (read: weak) landing keeps this flick out of the stratosphere inhabited by other post-modern genre greats such as Once Upon A Time In The West, Unforgiven and Tombstone--easily the best Western since its halcyon days of the mid-20th Century...when stars like John Wayne, Gary Cooper & Clint Eastwood and filmmakers like John Ford, Budd Boetticher & Sergio Leone personified the Western genre.

Well, at least the cast is game.

Russell Crowe brings some menace to his role as the villain with a hint of piety underneath those steely-soft eyes. However, his penchant for playing heroic/good guy roles (like in Gladiator, Cinderella Man and American Gangster) kind of “softens” his bad guy role in this one--but hey, that’s my opinion. In fact, the last time Crowe had actually played a real villain was in 1995’s Virtuosity, so the years have been “good” to Crowe--who, regardless, is always a pleasure to watch anyway...and in any role.

On the other side, Christian Bale carries the movie in his role as the righteous Dan Evans. The Welsh-born Bale does a fine “western” accent and portrays bruised-&-battered like the best of them. Echoes of the the late Gregory Peck & Burt Lancaster can be found in this role. Nicely-done work by young Mr. Bale; although judging by his creepy performance in Harsh Times (2006)--where he played a wacked-out federal agent wannabe--I really believe that he could’ve stepped into the Ben Wade role with no problem.

The rest of the cast works nicely, too. The standouts are veteran actor Peter Fonda as the crusty old Marshall and intense young Ben Foster as Wade’s villainous lieutenant--so villainous in fact, that Foster’s character is a much more frightening cad than Crowe’s character (though I must credit Foster’s clipped, evil-looking beard with much of the villainy). Go figure!

Behind the camera, I really dug the muscular, widescreen-lensing by veteran European cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (Walk The Line/Identity/Phenomenon), appropriately “Western” production design by budding talent Andrew Menzies and a nice twangy score by Marco Beltrami (2006’s The Omen/Scream 1-3)--all of which give YUMA a glossy sheen and well-produced raison d’etre that almost justifies a remake.

Additionally, other tech credits (editing, costumes, etc.) are all top-shelf. Oh...and on a final note, the movie was shot on location in beautifully-arid New Mexico. Gotta love those mesas and tumbleweeds!

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Western gets a reboot with this entertaining yet middling yarn; though a good cast, solid production values and its genre pedigree should give this one a little playability beyond the multiplex. Too bad it comes up a little short in the oomph department. They should’ve given this six shooter some more ammo and let loose some Hell!!