3:10 to Yuma
Pamela Scott Shelton
February 22, 2008
There is really nothing more fun than a great movie in which the cast in character are a perfect ensemble, carrying the action of the storyline to an unpredictable conclusion. 3:10 to Yuma (2007), directed by James Mangold, is that kind of a movie.
First, let me say that when Russell Crowe is bad, he is really good. This is the first time I have seen Crowe play a bad guy, or in a western. On both accounts his performance was fun and outstanding. It is hard to imagine any other actor taking on the role of the outlaw Ben Wade, a complex thief and murderer, who meets his alter ego in the rancher Dan Evans, played by Christian Bale.
Bale, again, is casting spot on, and he delivers a convincing a remarkable performance alongside Crowe. This is just where the fun begins. Logan Lerman, as Evans´ son, William, who looks at his father with pity and disappointment, instead of admiration. The emotions between father and son drives the plot here, and it works because of the great acting of these actors in the roles they play. Lerman, whose shows great strength and ability as an actor in this film, is a young actor whose career is going to be very interesting to watch. There are, no dobut, great things in store for this gifted young man.
This film is an example of incredible casting choices, the right characters matched to the right actors can turn a western into a really great film. I have not seen a western this good since the 1993 western Tombstone, directed by George P. Cosmatos, starring Kurt Russell, as Wyatt Earp, Val Kilmer, as Doc Holiday – a scene stealer – and Bill Paxton, as Morgan Earp, Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo, and a supporting cast of other acting greats. Like Tombstone, it is the casting to the character in 3:10 that makes it great.
Some of the more pleasant surprises in 3:10 are Ben Foster, in the role of the deadly outlaw Charlie Prince. Foster´s acting is superb, and he compliments Crowe's performance, bringing to life Charlie Prince in a real and frightening way – because he is a murderer of men, women, and children, with but one weakness; his loyalty to Ben Wade. Charlie Prince stands before the all time acting great, Peter Fonda, as Pinkerton agent Byron McElroy, performing a bantering dialogue before shooting he shoots McElroy, leaving him to bleed out. Charlie Prince turns out to be a character that is hard for the viewer to let go of, and you want more of him. There is no end to the effort and talent of Ben Foster in this role. Whatever roles Foster takes on in the future, he has challenged himself with the expectation that all his performances will be as great, or greater than the character he brought to life in Charlie Prince.
Christian Bale as Dan Evans is casting genius. As the Civil War veteran turned rancher, Evans is having a tough time leaving his war humiliation behind him, and transfers his sense of disappointment in himself to his son, who is at that age where as a young man, he can no longer find qualities in dad to admire. The storyline resolves the conflict, but with a twist.
Dallas Roberts, as the railroad man, Grayson Butterfield, creates a character very different than the railroad men of other westerns. No same old with Roberts' character. Butterfield is a man whose first loyalty is to his job, but he´s a pragmatic man, who doesn´t want to die for it. Roberts performs the role without turning his character into an annoying coward, and, because of that, his character takes on a greater importance to the film´s timing and action.
This is a film where there are no small roles, and even the non-speaking roles reflect an acting expertise and skill in casting that should be applauded. 3:10 to Yuma is a great western, fun and entertaining, and a film worth seeing again. Add this one to your personal collection.
First, let me say that when Russell Crowe is bad, he is really good. This is the first time I have seen Crowe play a bad guy, or in a western. On both accounts his performance was fun and outstanding. It is hard to imagine any other actor taking on the role of the outlaw Ben Wade, a complex thief and murderer, who meets his alter ego in the rancher Dan Evans, played by Christian Bale.
Bale, again, is casting spot on, and he delivers a convincing a remarkable performance alongside Crowe. This is just where the fun begins. Logan Lerman, as Evans´ son, William, who looks at his father with pity and disappointment, instead of admiration. The emotions between father and son drives the plot here, and it works because of the great acting of these actors in the roles they play. Lerman, whose shows great strength and ability as an actor in this film, is a young actor whose career is going to be very interesting to watch. There are, no dobut, great things in store for this gifted young man.
This film is an example of incredible casting choices, the right characters matched to the right actors can turn a western into a really great film. I have not seen a western this good since the 1993 western Tombstone, directed by George P. Cosmatos, starring Kurt Russell, as Wyatt Earp, Val Kilmer, as Doc Holiday – a scene stealer – and Bill Paxton, as Morgan Earp, Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo, and a supporting cast of other acting greats. Like Tombstone, it is the casting to the character in 3:10 that makes it great.
Some of the more pleasant surprises in 3:10 are Ben Foster, in the role of the deadly outlaw Charlie Prince. Foster´s acting is superb, and he compliments Crowe's performance, bringing to life Charlie Prince in a real and frightening way – because he is a murderer of men, women, and children, with but one weakness; his loyalty to Ben Wade. Charlie Prince stands before the all time acting great, Peter Fonda, as Pinkerton agent Byron McElroy, performing a bantering dialogue before shooting he shoots McElroy, leaving him to bleed out. Charlie Prince turns out to be a character that is hard for the viewer to let go of, and you want more of him. There is no end to the effort and talent of Ben Foster in this role. Whatever roles Foster takes on in the future, he has challenged himself with the expectation that all his performances will be as great, or greater than the character he brought to life in Charlie Prince.
Christian Bale as Dan Evans is casting genius. As the Civil War veteran turned rancher, Evans is having a tough time leaving his war humiliation behind him, and transfers his sense of disappointment in himself to his son, who is at that age where as a young man, he can no longer find qualities in dad to admire. The storyline resolves the conflict, but with a twist.
Dallas Roberts, as the railroad man, Grayson Butterfield, creates a character very different than the railroad men of other westerns. No same old with Roberts' character. Butterfield is a man whose first loyalty is to his job, but he´s a pragmatic man, who doesn´t want to die for it. Roberts performs the role without turning his character into an annoying coward, and, because of that, his character takes on a greater importance to the film´s timing and action.
This is a film where there are no small roles, and even the non-speaking roles reflect an acting expertise and skill in casting that should be applauded. 3:10 to Yuma is a great western, fun and entertaining, and a film worth seeing again. Add this one to your personal collection.
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