On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 8/33 |
John Seal |
Satisfying western remake with a terrific cast. |
| 10/94 |
Shane Jenkins |
The western made cool again. Great performances and atmosphere. |
| 23/46 |
Les Winan |
A lot of fun. Crowe and Bale are typically great. Ben Foster is over-the-top but entertaining. Well-paced and interesting, the movie has just the right tone. |
| 32/214 |
Max Braden |
I liked Wade, but how different this would have turned out if Hans Gruber had been the prisoner. |
A remake of the 1957 Western of the same name, 3:10 to Yuma features Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in the roles originated by Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. The 1957 movie is highly regarded as top notch in its genre, meaning that Lionsgate has a high standard to follow with this update.
James Mangold (Walk the Line) directs from a screenplay by Stuart Beattie (Collateral). In the film, Bale will star as Dan Evans, a rancher who is dealing with a variety of troubles. It's dry season, and he's having a rough time trying to save his land from impending drought. Meanwhile, his marriage is suffering, and his son is looking to leave the ranch and pursue other opportunities. He agrees to hold a captured outlaw who is waiting for the 3:10 train to Yuma, Arizona, where he'll go to trial. The two engage in a battle of wills and wits as Wade tries to overcome the rancher.
Westerns have proven to be a hard sell in recent years. While Unforgiven is fondly remembered (and rightly so), other movies from the genre have mostly crashed and burned. Still, with the popularity of shows like Deadwood, there's a chance that with good marketing that 3:10 to Yuma might show some modest success. It's not Russell Crowe's first go at the genre (he also starred in Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead), but he's certainly seen his popularity rise (and fall) since then. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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