ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

LONG CONSIDERED box-office poison, the western has become the most unfashionable of genres. ‘3:10 To Yuma’ is no classic. but it has enough style and vigour to remind everyone of what they have been missing in recent years.

A stagecoach robbery, an encounter with Apache warriors, shoot-outs and showdowns all combine in a satisfying tale of lawless times and desperate men. It might even be good enough to spark a revival.

Less widely remembered than ‘High Noon’ or ‘Rio Bravo’, ‘3: 10 To Yuma’ is still one of the great westerns from the 1950s. A taut, tense drama, it charts the mutual respect that develops between ruthless outlaw Glenn Ford and hard-working rancher Van Heflin who is determined to bring him to justice.

The 50th anniversary remake revisits the basic story but ups the action and expands the scope of the story. The end result loses some of the tension that made the original so memorable.

Christian Bale stars as Dan Evans, a one-legged Civil War veteran struggling to provide for his wife and two sons. Russell Crowe is cynical outlaw Ben Wade. When Wade is captured, Evans accepts two hundred dollars to join the posse escorting him on to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison.

He needs the money but he also needs to reclaim his self-respect. Naturally, Wade’s gang are watching his every move and Evans becomes increasingly isolated as he vows to do his duty and deliver Wade to justice.

The fim is well cast although the decision to sacrifice credibility for an all-action finale is a mistake. Until that misjudged climax it delivers the best western since ‘Open Range’ and the glory days of Clint Eastwood.

Selected nationwide release

Director: James Mangold
Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Logan Lerman
Screenwriters: Stuart Beattie Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Halsted Welles
Certificate: 15
Running time: 117 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2007

© Allan Hunter, 2007