American Western film is a lost genre in this age of Toyota, Honda and Kia. Look, Asian brands are even kicking asses of American auto companies. We see horses and we'd likely think of them as part of a Marlboro commercial. So this movie's a bold move back to the brave, old world. I think my two-hour ride with them fast horses, ruthless cowboys and sneaky Indians in the wilderness of Arizona was all worth it.
Even more so given that 3:10 to Yuma stars Russell Crowe (Ben Wade) and Christian Bale (Dan Evans). Yes, I am kidding you not. The performances of these two gifted actors should be enough reason for you to watch this. Their tandem is not exactly like Jacky Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour franchise or between John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in Face/Off. Crowe and Bale neither tease each other so that the other could deliver the punch lines nor they hate each other's guts to unleash their respective demons. On the contrary, they both portray their roles "minimally" and quite independently that half of their interactions could have been deleted without sacrificing the story. And oh boy, the supporting cast is awesome. Charlie Prince (played by Ben Foster), the gay assassin and Ben Wade's No. 2, is my favorite character. He's simply a cold animal with deep loyalty to the "outfit" (they call their robbery gang that). But this is still a Western movie, you won't be disappointed if you dig horse-chasing (as opposed to car-chasing?) and lots of pistol shoot-outs. I think 3:10 to Yuma tries to stick to the elements of what a genuine Western is: great action, default and notorious characters and, of course, the rough Wild West setting. It's amusing!
The title relates to the time (3:10PM) and place (Yuma prison in Arizona) that Ben Wade, a legendary robbery gang leader, should be executed for his endless crimes. The problem is: who will bring Wade to Yuma at that exact time? Dan Evans, a poor rancher and war veteran (who lost a leg while in retreat from battle), volunteers. From there begins the journey of Wade and Evans to grand questions of legacy, bravery, love and self-worth. The script's actually intelligently-written and crisp. Having said that, I have some reservations for the film. 1) Evans is supposed to have one wooden leg, why does it seem quite easy for him to do those rolling and roof-jumping stunts? 2) Christian Bale (still the Evans character) acts alarmingly aloof in some scenes as if no one told him the director already shouted "action". He's very quite. Is this a case of, pardon the oxymoron, over-minimalism? His whole performance here is still great, though Crowe fascinates more.
* 4.5 stars for the movie
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Dec 19th, 2008
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