3:10 to Yuma Movie Review

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

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Written by: Halsted Welles and Michael Brandt & Derek Haas (screenplay), Elmore Leonard (short story)
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman, Ben Poster, Peter Fonda, Alan Tudyk, Gretchen Mol
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.

Verdict
Transporting a prisoner is never easy, especially with his gang tailing you. Dan takes the job guarding Wade because he's about to lose his farm and needs the money. It's life or death both for the guard and the criminal. This remains intense from nearly the beginning as Wade is completely unpredictable. He may compliment or shoot you. The stakes keep raising, but Dan refuses to quit. He has to get paid for this job. The final sequence concludes the movie perfectly and makes the entire film better.
Watch It.

Review
This is second adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1953 short story. A movie was made in 1957 with the same name.

Rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) faces financial straights, at risk of losing his farm. I don't understand why the bank thinks burning down Dan's barn will be productive. While it is a warning, how can a rancher make money without a cattle or a barn? Dan and his son gather their cattle the next day that got away during the barn burning. His son William (Logan Lerman) thinks dad is weak, barely holding onto the farm and hesitant to step in when they run right into Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) robbing a stage coach. William is enamored with Wade, an outlaw in the flesh just like the stories he's read. Wade lets Dan and William go. They aren't a threat.

 Christian Bale plays Dan Evans

Dan rides into town to make a plea with the bank, but it doesn't matter. They want to drive him off the land so they can repossess it and sell it to the railroad. Dan runs into Wade, delaying him enough to aid in his capture. Dan then talks his way into escorting Wade to court in Yuma. The sheriff sends a decoy wagon to distract Wade's gang while they hold Wade at Dan's house to hide him.

Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) leads the gang in Wade's absence, and Foster is impressive from the start in the role. He's devoted to Wade and more ruthless. He'll do anything to free his boss. That's the impending enemy Dan and the posse will soon face.

Ben Foster plays Charlie Prince

Dan is doing this in part out of pride. His small ranch is failing and his eldest son looks down on his failures. This is Dan's chance to do something important and be a hero. Even Wade wonders about Dan, asking him why he's in this posse. He correctly guesses it's debt, and then insults Dan talking about how much better he'd treat Dan's wife. Wade is antagonistic. You guess it often works to his advantage to gain and edge. Wade is so nonchalant about the adventure, treating it like any other ride. It's got to make everyone else uneasy. As jovial as Wade can be, he doesn't take to insults. The wild thing is he could have escaped earlier, but it's not until he's insulted that he attacks.

Wade has a code even if it isn't always clear. Wade cautions them not to ride through the pass, and he's proven right when attacked by Apache in the night. Wade obtains a weapon, kills the Apache, takes the horses, and leaves the posse alive. He could have killed them all. The remaining posse recapture Wade and hole up in a nearby town as they wait for the train. When Wade's gang arrives, Prince pays the town to rescue Wade. The posse is outmanned and outgunned. Everyone leaves but Dan who negotiates a higher payout. We get why Dan is risking his life when no one else will. His and his family's future depend on that money. He has a chance to die a hero while escorting a criminal or die as his farm and family flounder. It a chance to be brave in front of his son.

 Russell Crowe plays Ben Wade

Wade's been in control since the beginning. He grows tired of Dan's escapade and is nearly free until Dan admits his shame. Wade may be a sociopath, but he has a code. Wade realizes that getting on the train won't cost him much, but it's worth so much more to Dan. Wade helps Dan survive and commits to putting himself on the train. 

What an ending. It's tragic, poetic, and surprising. It's so powerful. While the entire movie is this tense race to the train, the ending makes the movie better, managing to invoke several emotions in a short time and providing both protagonists a chance to shine.