Camden New Journal - Movies: 3.10 To Yuma

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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with WILLIAM HALL
Published: 13 September 2007

Russell Crowe as the ruthless Wade

Shoot-outs send Western off track

3.10 TO YUMA
Directed by James Mangold
Certificate 15

IF there is such a thing as a psychological Western, then this is it. The original 1957 suspense thriller was one of the all-time sagebrush classics, with Glenn Ford starring as vicious outlaw Ben Wade – captured after a hold-up – and Van Heflin as Dan Evans, the peace-loving rancher reluctantly taking him across country to put him on the train to Yuma penitentiary.
The rancher is in dire straits with a drought threatening to ruin his farm, and desperate for the $200 he’ll be paid to deliver his captive safely to the railroad station.
Wade’s gang are in hot pursuit, yet, in the original, there was little overt violence.
Instead, whiplash tension held us in thrall as the prisoner tried to psyche out his escort before reaching the train.
This remake tilts the scales the other way. There’s carnage on the prairie from the opening stage-coach heist, with Russell Crowe as Wade showing his ruthless side by cold-bloodedly shooting one of his own men who steps out of line.
The rancher (Christian Bale) is full of angst, with an unhappy wife (Gretchen Mol) and a pair of rebellious sons. Oh, and he’s got a wooden leg too, after having the real one shot off by his own side in the Civil War.
For all the shoot ’em up bloodshed, it’s actually a story of redemption, focusing on the rancher’s dogged persistence in the face of hopeless odds to redeem himself against his perceived failure as a father.
On this level it works well, and the surprise ending alone is worth the ticket. There’s just too much lead flying around to make it totally credible.

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