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3:10 to Yuma

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

"3:10 to Yuma" is based on a 1953 short story by Elmore Leonard, with the acclaimed director of "Walk the Line," James Mangold, giving a fresh look at this reinvention of Delmer Daves's 1957 Western with the same title.

Into a parched land under a dusty wind comes a stubborn but honest man, Dan Evans(Christian Bale), a former labor of union sharpshooter who has spent his daily life abiding by the laws and living in poverty. One day, he is shaken into reality by a rude awakening: he finds his barn on fire, with the arsonist holding him responsible for a debt he can't pay because of a drought. Evans is forced to abandon his property at a point when he is sorely aware of his need to earn the respect of his son William (Logan Lerman) and his wife (Gretchen Mol).

On the other side of Dan's perspective, there is the notorious gunslinger, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), the leader of a group of outlaws who have killed several men during dozens of robberies and in an attack on bounty hunter Byron McElroy's (Peter Fonda) stagecoach. One of his posse, the homicidal second-in-command Charlie Prince (Ben Foster), reveres Ben so much that when the man is captured by federal agents, Charlies psyches up the rest of his gant to pursue his boss, who made the mistake of remaining  in town after being smitten with  a beautiful bartender(Vinessa Shaw).

Just as Southern Pacific Railroad representive Grayson Butterfield (Dallas Roberts) seeks a volunteer to join the posse to take Wade into custody, Dan negotiates a $200 payment for the chance to secure his land and preserve his family's solidarity.

From then on, director James Mangold relies on two of his lead actors and their fine abilities, initially sketching them as heroes and anti-heroes, then exploiting human weaknesses that make it hard to draw the line on these men's masculinity and traits. Christian Bale is as versatile as ever: he can immerse himself into any role with a wide range of vulnerable emotion. Russell Crowe is back in top form, portraying a ferocious killer with a kindly heart who gets us into feeling that are deeper and more profound.  In the end, two sides of masculinity stand steadily in the Wild West!

Directed by James Mangold
Written by Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas
Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard
Director of photography: Phedon Papamichael
Edited by Michael McCusker
Music by Marco Beltrami
Production designer: Andrew Menzies
Produced by Cathy Konrad
Released by Lionsgate.
Running time: 117 minutes.

Cast: Russell Crowe (Ben Wade)
Christian Bale (Dan Evans)
Peter Fonda (Byron McElroy)
Gretchen Mol (Alice Evans)
Ben Foster (Charlie Prince)
Dallas Roberts (Grayson Butterfield)
Alan Tudyk (Doc Potter)
Vinessa Shaw (Emma Nelson),
and Logan Lerman (William Evans).