3:10 to Yuma

Posted by Ajit on September 22, 2007. Comment

A great Western is unlike a great film from any other genre. When you walk out of a great Western, you wish to be transported back in time (even if you don’t really want to), you have a better understanding about the nature of violence, what it is to be a man and sometimes even about friendship. Unlike other mediocre Westerns, the great ones aren’t simply fascinated with locales or guns, their focus is on the people and what they do in survival mode.

3:10 to Yuma might be up there with Once upon a time in the West for me, which is my all time favorite Western. The friendship at the heart of the movie is fantastic. I cannot think of another film in recent times that had a such a great ensemble. Ben Foster as Charlie Prince is just out of this world. Whoever dressed the man should get an award, he probably got most of his insight into his character from his clothes.

Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are always just tremendous. Has Bale sucked in a film yet? Even in Batman, he was good. Crowe is so at ease at playing confidence. His stature, his eyes. It almost seems like he walked onto to the wrong set while looking for a production of Don Juan. The man is smooth.

I like the direction, it isn’t your typical Western where landscape cinematography is as important as anything else. There aren’t any memorable montages or a fantastic crane shot. Everything is centered on the people and their actions. To some, it might indicate a lack of imagination but to me it shows incredible discipline. When I was driving back home, I couldn’t think of any character and any relationships that didn’t make any sense. And while the story is great, in the wrong hands, it could have been unbelievable.

Seriously folks, go watch this movie. My wife and I aren’t the types that watch John Wayne films all day but after this we have taken a new interest in Westerns.

Here is the Trailer.