3:10 TO YUMA
3:10 to Yuma Rated R Features: Audio Commentary with Director
James Mangold
Destination Yuma - Making-of Documentary
An Epic Explored Featurette
Outlaws, Gangs And Posses Documentary
Deleted Scenes
Running Time: 122 Minutes
3:10 to Yuma is the remake of the
classic 1950’s western
that starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin.
James Mangold (Director of
Walk the Line
) builds upon the original story and creates a movie that is all his own. With the support of brilliant performances by the film’s leads
Russell Crowe and
Christian Bale, Mangold breathes new life into a genre that seems to have been lost in Hollywood.
3:10 to Yuma finds its place amongst the rank of
Unforgiven
,
Tombstone
and
El Mariachi
as one of the great westerns in recent years.
The story centers on Ben Wade (Crowe). He is a notorious robber and villain who has successfully executed twenty-two robberies and killed countless people with his ability as the fastest draw anyone has seen. After robbing his last coach, he goes to the town of Bisbee. Dan Evans (Bale) is a rancher that has fallen on hard times and is dealing with the disability of losing his foot in the Civil War. While he and his two sons are out herding up their cattle, they witness Wade carrying out his robbery and decide to help the one remaining survivor back to Bisbee to get help. Meanwhile Ben Wade is in Bisbee visiting the bar maid he is in love with and while alone with her, he is captured. The railroad is putting a group together to escort Wade to the train that leave at 3:10 for Yuma Prison, which is where the film gets its name. Evans ends up in Yuma and agrees to join the band that will be escorting Wade to Centurion to catch the train for two hundred dollars, which will be enough to get his family out of debt. Wade’s crew sees he has been captured and vows to spring him from his captors. The group send out a stage coach with a man in Wade’s hat in the wrong direction and Charlie Parker (Wade’s second in command played by
Ben Foster) follows it and eventually Wade’s crew overtakes the coach and learns that they are going the other way with the leader. Wade, while in custody, ends up killing two of his captors before the group arrives at Centurion. We learn that Dan’s son William has been following and actually prevents Wade from escaping after killing one of the guys in the group. Along the way, Evans and Wade develop an understanding for each other and maybe even a mild level of respect. In Centurion, Wade’s crew shows up and offers anyone in the town two hundred dollars for killing anyone who is holding their boss captive. This causes the few remaining escorts to quit and they are executed as they exit the hotel they are holed up in. Evans, determined to get his family out of debt, negotiates a deal for one thousand dollars that will ensure his family will be set for life and also makes a deal for his son to get home safely. In turn, he will himself take Wade and put him on the train to Yuma. This leads to a final impressive shootout throughout the whole town and at one point while Wade is about to get away, we learn Evans lost his leg by being shot by someone in his division and has never been a hero. This causes Wade to agree to continue with him to put him on the train to Yuma because he has broken out of Yuma two times already. They make it all the way to the train and Evans gets Wade on board, but as this happens Charlie comes up behind Dan and shoots him and kills him. Ben jumps off the train and is so distraught with Evan’s death that when Charlie hands him his gun they were holding for him, he kills his whole gang. William runs over to his father and draws on Wade, but can’t bring himself to pull the trigger. Wade climbs back on the train to Yuma to honor Evans, but whistles and we see his horse run after the train and we can guess that Wade will escape for the third time as credits start to roll.
The DVD contains various special features including a making of featurette that shows some of the stunts and shootouts as well as the visually impressive stagecoach robbery. It also has the actors talking about their involvement and excitement of working on a western. It also has a short documentary on the history of posses and outlaws in the wild west and discusses the history of some of the most famous outlaws such as Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. There are some deleted scenes and after watching them you can see why they were cut as they added nothing to final cut of the film.
3:10 to Yuma is a wonderful addition to the genre of country western film and is a great addition for any fan’s collection.
