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All aboard for another to Yuma
By Ryan Armstrong
rarmst17@mscd.edu

In the movie industry, a remake usually means one of two things: directors believe they can add a new spin to an old movie or producers are fresh out of ideas. But the most recent remake, 3:10 to Yuma, is an exception to both rules. No new spin, just higher standards.

The original 1957 film starring Glenn Ford as outlaw Ben Wade and Van Heflin as farmer Dan Evans was a classic good guy versus bad guy Western.

Re-doing a western from the days of John Wayne, when the good guys wore white hats and the villains wore black hats, is quite an undertaking. In 3:10 to Yuma, the rules of the old western seem shifted. Figuring out whom to cheer for becomes difficult when both characters carry gray qualities. The remake of 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe as Wade and Christian Bale as Evans, lends an even more psychological heaviness to the film.

Evans, a veteran of the Civil War missing one leg, has problems making property payments and can barely put food on the table for his family.

Wade, an infamous gunslinger, is captured and men are needed for hire to take him to the 3:10 train to Yuma Prison. Not many want the job, with the fear that Wade’s gang will kill to free their leader. Evans, needing the money to pay off debts, begs to be part of the posse taking Wade to meet his train.

Through the journey the farmer and the outlaw make a connection despite their opposing views on the world, a connection that is bred by their understanding of each other and sympathy of the other’s troubles to finally accept responsibility.

Crowe and Bale played both characters deeper and truer than their predecessors. Ben Foster, who plays a member of Wade’s gang, does an exceptional job as vicious but with meaning in his fight to free Wade who is a father figure to him.

However, the talents of actors such as Peter Fonda or Luke Wilson are lost in mediocre roles. Gretchen Mol as Evans’ wife shows the stand-by-your-man with a taste for the bad boy.

Although she is only on screen a short time, she carries into conversations between Evans and Wade that end in disputes throughout the film. Allowing the audience to see her relationship with Evans and meeting with Wade helps to build even more reason for the two men to disagree.

So, be sure to catch that train.