"3:10 to Yuma" has adjusted my perspective toward the western genre of film.
I've always stereotyped westerns as those poorly saturated pictures with a Wayne or an Eastwood that you pass by on the Hallmark Channel. But after watching "Yuma," I realized that with high-production values, solid acting and a tight script, I might rather enjoy a western.
Helmed by James Mangold, of "Walk the Line" fame, "Yuma" stars Russell
Crowe as Ben Wade, a captured outlaw in need of an escort to a train
station, where a lift to a prison in Yuma awaits. Dan Evans (Christian
Bale) is a rancher in some serious financial trouble, who volunteers to
escort Wade in exchange for some quick cash to save his family.
After my initial, and requisite, "Oh my god it's Russell Crowe!" I was able to settle in to the steady pace of the flick. Shootouts, caravan heists - all was well and good. Bale was intense and excellent as always (especially when he's not protecting Gotham) and Crowe was solid as a "gentleman-outlaw," proving his acting chops are as strong as ever (especially when he's not heaving small appliances at service workers).
All things told, "Yuma" was entertaining, even considering the perplexing situations presented in film's closing minutes. *No spoilers here, you'll see what I mean if you check it out for yourself.
The Denouement:
Quite Essential for those who enjoy the western genre, fans of Bale and/or Crowe, and anyone looking for an unexpected Luke Wilson cameo.
After my initial, and requisite, "Oh my god it's Russell Crowe!" I was able to settle in to the steady pace of the flick. Shootouts, caravan heists - all was well and good. Bale was intense and excellent as always (especially when he's not protecting Gotham) and Crowe was solid as a "gentleman-outlaw," proving his acting chops are as strong as ever (especially when he's not heaving small appliances at service workers).
All things told, "Yuma" was entertaining, even considering the perplexing situations presented in film's closing minutes. *No spoilers here, you'll see what I mean if you check it out for yourself.
The Denouement:
Quite Essential for those who enjoy the western genre, fans of Bale and/or Crowe, and anyone looking for an unexpected Luke Wilson cameo.
