When a psychopathic outlaw falls into the hands of lawmen in a small town, someone has to make sure he boards a train bound for Yuma and prison-the 3-10, and all the while his gang are circling like dusty sharks.
That's the plot in a nutshell of this exiting and realistic western.
Ben Wade the psychopath is of the most dangerous variety-namely an intelligent one and Russell Crowe turns him into a most charismatic villain.
Watch him in the scene where he almost hypnotises the farmers wife by instinctively latching on to her personality and longings, and hes alone with her for only about a minute.
Christian Bale is Dan Evans the farmer under pressure on several fronts-businessmen who want his land by any means to further the railroad(railroads being a constant theme throughout the movie)his wife struggling against the threat of poverty, a rebelious son who sees an opening as Alpha Male and his own severe war handicap thats left him with a tin foot. But he is also that pillar of many western films-a decent man Christian Bale lends him a heart of frontier integrity. Hes the one who volounteers himself to escort the prisoner to the railway station. The pair become bound together as events snowball to their tense and bloody confusion.
We can sense that Wade is drawn to Evans in a way he can see his own obverse character.
The original source is an Elmore Leoraud story that was filmed first in 1957 directed by Delmar Davies an equally good effort with Glenn Ford as Wade and Van Helfin as Evans. Ford especially notable playing against type as the dangerously seductive outlaw. James Mangolds new film adheres fairly closely to the previous apart from a big departure at the end, but 'nuff said I'm no spoiler.
Another high is Peter Fonda as a grizzled bounty hunter with a voice so rough you could rub doors down with it Also spot Jeffrey Wright who was so good in another western-a great one-Ang Lees Ride With the Devil in an almost non-speaking part overseeing chinese railway labourers.
3-10 to Yuma will stand well among the best westerns made since the genre's supposed renaissance began with unforgiven.
Special features/Extras
Making of film called "Destination Yuma" lasting 20 minutes.
An epic explored-brief explanation of western genre.
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