A film that has only gotten better with age, this remake of the 1950’s western takes a gritty and violent look at the use of power and the meaning of manhood in the old west.

I first saw this film back in 2007 when it came to DVD. I was 17 and saw a movie about two cool actors trying to out cool each other. I ate up the gun fights and gritty reinterpretation of the western. Seeing it again 16 years later I still enjoyed the cool factor and the gun fights, but what totally captured me was the rich story telling and layered performances by the two leads. I found its symbolism and themes incredibly potent and meaningful today.

3:10 to Yuma is a remake of Glenn Ford western which itself was adapted from an Elmore Leonard short story. This adaptation follows the story beats of the 1957 film, Ben Wade, played by Russell Crowe, is a wanted outlaw and murderer. He is captured by the law with the help of down on his luck rancher, Dan Evans, played by Christian Bale. Evans joins a posse to bring Wade to the town of Contention where a 3:10 train will bring Wade to Yuma Prison. There’s a showdown as they’re waiting for the train when Wade’s gang lead by Charlie Prince, played by Ben Foster, shows up to gun down the posse and free Wade.

The two leads here are fantastic. Bale and Crowe are great actors, but what sets these performances apart from their other work is that this movie gives them the time and space to breath as these characters. The silences between them, the moments of subtle interaction are given just as much weight as the bombastic action.

Bale infuses his character with a wounded masculinity. He’s a man who has failed to live up to the western ideal. He is missing a leg but not from heroic combat. He is trying to make a living as a rancher, but he can’t provide for his family. Bale’s fragile strength just beams from his eyes with every look, and he is given many moments to simply look.

Crowe on the other hand oozes charm and confidence. He is a man in control of every room he enters. He finds people’s weak points and needles them. He pushes every button and always comes out on top. This is a man who knows how to wield power. He is magnetic, and his magnetism is given room to be admired and criticized. The film shows the darker side of his use of power as he uses his power to inflict terrible pain on those around him. Crowe remains incredibly charming while also showing a murderous glint in his eye. He is a bad person, no matter how much we want him to be a good guy.

The interplay of these two is absolutely fascinating to me. We have a broken man struggling to assert his masculinity, and a man who is the absolute definition of old west masculinity coming up against each other. We have a moral man who has always tried to do the right thing only to be thwarted by the world around him faced with a man who always chooses the wrong path and seemingly is constantly rewarded for it. The idea that the villain could be rewarded for his bad behavior was completely foreign back in the 50’s. In fact it was prohibited by the movie production code. This film asks us to interrogate what kind of justice we have in the world.

That leads me into the ending. The ending has a couple of missteps. Just a couple of they story telling decisions that they made did not work for me. The whistle and the final shot rang completely false. Now, just because it stumbles in the last seconds doesn’t mean the whole movie isn’t excellent leading up to it. I loved it regardless of the minor flaws.

I loved this movie. Watching it again, it really impressed me. The great story telling really impressed me. The fabulous performances really landed. The fact that it feels so different from the crap we fed today really felt like a breath of fresh air. The fact that neither of these guys were wearing CGI capes or super suits was just so refreshing. This movie doesn’t have Easter eggs or callbacks. It doesn’t set up a larger cinematic universe. It doesn’t feature endless cgi nonsense. It is a good story well told, and that’s why I watch movies.

This was my cup of tea. A