Reviews by Matt

The western is a genre that has been around as long as the film medium itself. Starting back in the silent era with movies like “The Great Train Robbery” in 1903, the western has been a staple of the movie industry. There was a time when westerns were the most successful and most abundant movies made. Now it is a genre that has been ignored and overlooked. Action movies or romantic comedies seem to be all that grace the silver screen most weekends in America. Once every few years, a western makes it to the local theaters and this appears to be one of those years.

In “3:10 to Yuma,” Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a struggling rancher who lost part of his leg in the Civil War. He is in debt and one night has his barn burned and cattle let loose, as punishment for not paying on time. The following morning he and his sons go in search of the lost cattle and come upon a wagon robbery. Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his gang have been robbing the rail companies for years, but this time the rail company was ready, they has the wagon was armed. After a ferocious gunfight, Wade once again gets the upper hand and the rail company is once again robbed. Evans finds Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), a man who works for the railroad to protect the shipments, as the only survivor of the gunfight. Evans takes him to the nearest town, the same town where Wade holds up after the robbery. When Wade is caught, Evans is one of the men who volunteer to escort him to the train station to catch the 3:10 to Yuma.

When you get two actors the caliber of Bale and Crowe in a movie, it is bound to be good. These two could make “Gigli” an Oscar contender. This movie is another example of just how good these two can be. They play characters who are complete opposites.

Crowe makes Wade a bad guy that, no matter hard you try, is impossible to hate. He is very likable even though he is a killer and has no remorse for anything he does. When he is captured, he does what he is told without giving them too much trouble. He seems to know when to sit back and let things happen and wait until he has the upper hand. Even though he has been captured and is handcuffed, he remains upbeat and never feels like he is a prisoner. He remains talkative and is almost friendly to certain people who are escorting him to the train station. He and Evans become close and develop a respect and appreciation for one another.

Bale is an actor who always seems to succeed no matter what role he is in. He does it again in “3:10” to Yuma.” Evans is a man driven by what is best for his family. He takes the job as escort because the money is good and will help the family get out of finical trouble. He also wants to prove himself to his sons. He sees himself as a failure because they are in debt and are struggling to pay it back. He is determined to get Wade onto the Yuma train so that his sons have a reason to be proud of him. He did something that no one else wanted to do.

I have always wondered why westerns are so few and far between. They have the action that many movies sent in present day have and sometimes have much better story lines. “Yuma” shows that westerns are still relevant and can be as exciting as any other movies released

8 out of 10
Rated R for violence and some language
1 hr 57 mins