2008 Woodie Awards
"3:10 to Yuma" Review
Jeremiah Magan
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Online Exclusive
"3:10 to Yuma" is the best western since "Open Range," it also happens to be one of the only westerns to come out since the 2003 Kevin Costner classic. These days, westerns are few and far between, a dying genre with life slowly being breathed back
into it.
"Yuma" is both your typical western and not. The central theme of a man fighting to protect his land and family and show his children the difference between right and wrong is still there, but with a few twists added to make it stand out.
The first major difference is the use of the antagonist of the story, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). Villains in westerns are not typically seen as likeable; they are feared and hated
with no other way to view them. Wade on the other hand, while obviously an evil man, has many redeeming qualities about himself. He is a thief, a murderer and a liar, but he
does not steal, kill or lie without purpose. Do not mistake him for a cowboy version of Robin Hood, he is still out to make himself rich, and he has no problem hurting people in
the process.
When he first meets our hero Dan Evans (Christian Bale) Wade and his gang had just finished robbing a fortified carriage and killing everyone inside, except for his long-time rival, bounty hunter Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda). Evans and his sons witnessed Wade use their run away cattle to stop the carriage and go to him to ask for them back. Surprisingly he says yes, but takes their horses and moves them up the road so he and his men cannot be followed. This speaks volumes about what kind of a man Wade is and foreshadows his actions at the end of the film.
Evans is the quintessential hero of the frontier, he fights to protect his land, family and because it is the right thing to do. When Wade is later captured and a crew is required to
take him to another town so he can be placed on a prison train, Evans signs on as a hired gun. He volunteers for two reasons, one being the large sum of money he will be given if he succeeds and the other to show his sons, his wife and his friends that he is still useful even though his cattle are dying and he only has one leg (courtesy of his previous military service).
into it.
"Yuma" is both your typical western and not. The central theme of a man fighting to protect his land and family and show his children the difference between right and wrong is still there, but with a few twists added to make it stand out.
The first major difference is the use of the antagonist of the story, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). Villains in westerns are not typically seen as likeable; they are feared and hated
with no other way to view them. Wade on the other hand, while obviously an evil man, has many redeeming qualities about himself. He is a thief, a murderer and a liar, but he
does not steal, kill or lie without purpose. Do not mistake him for a cowboy version of Robin Hood, he is still out to make himself rich, and he has no problem hurting people in
the process.
When he first meets our hero Dan Evans (Christian Bale) Wade and his gang had just finished robbing a fortified carriage and killing everyone inside, except for his long-time rival, bounty hunter Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda). Evans and his sons witnessed Wade use their run away cattle to stop the carriage and go to him to ask for them back. Surprisingly he says yes, but takes their horses and moves them up the road so he and his men cannot be followed. This speaks volumes about what kind of a man Wade is and foreshadows his actions at the end of the film.
Evans is the quintessential hero of the frontier, he fights to protect his land, family and because it is the right thing to do. When Wade is later captured and a crew is required to
take him to another town so he can be placed on a prison train, Evans signs on as a hired gun. He volunteers for two reasons, one being the large sum of money he will be given if he succeeds and the other to show his sons, his wife and his friends that he is still useful even though his cattle are dying and he only has one leg (courtesy of his previous military service).
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