christopher-underwood
Having shied away from westerns in the past (except for the spaghetti variety) it means I can come to a film like this afresh. And what a joy it is. From the very opening with the big sky and the tumbling landscape to the very end with clouds of steam from a trundling train, this is a beautiful experience. Based upon a story by a young Elmore Leonard, this is a solid tale, well told with dramatic and affecting photography and realistic and affecting dialogue. So many wondrous shots, children crowded behind a window and perfectly framed, ominous shadows across the bar-room floor anticipating the approach of the bad men. But are they that bad? For a film in which we basically have a ticking clock, ever anticipating the end, it is astonishing how complex the characters are revealed. The faultless Glenn Ford seduces the beautiful Felicia Farr and the magic moment as she prepares to give herself to the baddest man in town is the sparkling of her fluttering eyes. Her desires may run counter to the interests of the town and his may cause him unnecessary delay but hey they are only human. I won't give a way the ending but suffice to say it is at once predictable and astonishing. A smile, a laugh and a tear. A suitable ending for a film of many delightful contradictions and issues of human frailty. Brilliant.
PimpinAinttEasy
I picked up the Criterion Bluray of 3:10 to Yuma. Man, this film has some of the best black and white imagery ever put on film. Some of the shots are just so beautiful to look at. It is a film that is worth watching for the imagery alone. Those picturesque wide open American landscapes untouched by human beings and taverns with unused beer mugs and whiskey glasses are beautifully evoked.Glen Ford is in top form as the smooth talking villain. I have never rooted for the villain more than in this film. I guess it helped that his good adversary is the impotent looking Van Helfin. The so called good guys are all depicted as a bunch of bumbling traitorous fools.Two blots on this otherwise fine western - the hotel at the end where they are cooped up together waiting for the train was an eyesore. It had some gaudy set pieces. And the finale was a real let down. It was too hard to believe.(8/10)
MartinHafer
Years and years ago, I saw "3:10 to Yuma" and loved it. However, seeing it about 30 years later, I am struck how many illogical plot elements there are in the film--too many to make this a truly memorable western.When the film begins, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) and his gang are holding up the stage. In order to make this easier, they've stampeded some of a local rancher's cattle into the path of the wagon. Dan Evans (Van Heflin) can't do anything to stop the men from doing this with his cattle, as it's just him and his two small sons against a dozen vicious killers. Additionally, Evans is a pragmatic guy and doesn't want to be a hero.Later, after Wade is captured, the local Marshall wants to take the gang leader into Yuma to be tried for murder and robbery. However, there's a problem--the town is minuscule and he needs help. One of the guys he enlists is Evans. While Evans is hesitant to risk his life, he's about to lose his ranch--and the reward money could sure help him. So far, this is a very good western. The dilemma is interesting and Evans is an interesting sort of anti-hero. However, as the film progresses many problems are very noticeable. First and foremost, Wade tries several times to escape and even nearly kills several people in the process. So why not just shoot him?! After all, if a prisoner tries to escape, you shoot him. And, with his gang of thugs wandering about, you really cannot see why they didn't kill the murderer. It isn't like there's any doubt that he is a killer-- he admits it and was witnessed doing the killing. So why allow him to repeatedly try to escape and threaten to have the various posse members killed?! Kill the jerk!! Later, when his gang does arrive and they start killing off the posse members, STILL Evans doesn't shoot Wade...and you wonder why!! To make matters worse, the final scene shows Evans hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded--and then Wade does something that makes sense only to a script writer!! No criminal in the history of mankind would ever have done what Wade then did...NONE! Highly illogical.
st-shot
He may not carry himself or show the authority Gary Cooper does in High Noon but Van Heflin as a desperate farmer in need of rain displays the same steel in 3:10 to Yuma, a suspenseful western with a similar dynamic including a theme song.Ben Wade and his gang of outlaws botch a stage job that results in the death of the shotgun and his capture. The problem is there is no law around to bring Wade to the authorities in Yuma. Ranch farmer Dan Evans facing the loss of his crop and property assumes the responsibility of doing it with the promise of a pay day. The problem is Wade's boys are still around trying to spring him. After sneaking him to another town with a train station he holds up with Wade in a hotel saloon hoping to enlist some support from town folk. Solidly edited director Delmer Daves and cameraman Charles Lawton Jr. achieve a very claustrophobic atmosphere for a western by keeping it off the streets and opting to shrink the drama down to the hotel bar and a room with a view in which Lawton capitalizes on with disconcerting angles and fractured imagery and establish a disorienting tension. Catching the train in the film's climax offers up some other outstanding craftsmanship on those mentioned above.As in Shane, Heflin's unassuming looks and demeanor work superbly to his advantage as a Joe nondescript filled with incertitude but with a determination to dig down and see it through. Wade is a charming snake coolly underplayed by Ford who has an excellent chemistry with Heflin sharing a convincing rapport. Beyond its obvious theme 3:10 to Yuma is an interesting looking original.
AD
