Wednesday, April 9, 2008

3:10 To Yuma

This was originally posted on my other blog on September 14, 2007.  I decided it fit better here on my Movie Perspective blog so I moved it.

Esther and I went and saw 3:10 To Yuma tonight. I typically don't like westerns but this was definitely worth the time. Both Christian Bale and Russell Crowe gave exceptional performances as we expected.

The movie focuses on the moral dilemas that Dan Evans (Bale) must face as his family is dealing with financial hardship, disease, and a son heading down the wrong path in life. After having their barn burned down by an agent of the railroad company Dan and his sons run across the last moments of a coach robbery masterminded by Ben Wade (Crowe). After the brief encounter Evans and Wade go their seperate ways only to have another encounter in the local tavern.

During the second encounter Wade is arrested and it is decided that he will be transported to Yuma prison but the train station is several days journey away. Several men including Evans must escort Wade to the prisoner car at the train station.

Throughout the movie, Dan Evans is constantly struggling with right and wrong and trying to teach his eldest son how to live an honorable life by example. He is constantly battling the temptation to take the money and run or take the money and let the prisoner go free. He struggles with whether to kill Wade or let him live. He struggles with whether to give up like everyone around him has done or continue pushing forward despite the odds being stacked against him. Bale does a fantastic job of bringing an element of true emotion to the screen as his character faces these challenges.

At the same time, Russell Crowe does a fantastic job of being the hardened criminal with a soft side. One moment he's showing a tender side by capturing the beauty of the world in a drawing and other moments he's brutally murdering someone with a dinner fork. There are many opportunities for Wade to escape but yet he fails to even try most of the time.

Despite appearing to be polar opposites, the movie manages to show how Evans and Wade are much more alike than they appear. Throughout the movie the characters are simultaneously admiring and despising the other. The dichotomy of the characters is superb. I highly recommend seeing this movie.

Of course, one of the best parts of going to this movie wasn't the movie itself but rather something that preceded it. I know a lot of people hate trailers but I typically enjoy them and tonight was no exception. Along with the usual trailers that I've seen at other movies (Good Luck Chuck for instance) there was another trailer that I hadn't seen yet and even if 3:10 To Yuma hadn't been good, this trailer would have made my evening anyway.

[Arrrrggghhhh, here's a paragraph I should never have written...]
The trailer was for Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. This movie just looks spectacular. The Alien and Predator franchises have been two of my favorites for many, many years and I even have to admit that I enjoyed the first AVP movie but as far as one can tell from a trailer, Requiem is going to blow away many of the other movies in either franchise. I can't wait for Christmas 2007!

If you're a fan of either franchise and haven't seen this trailer yet, be sure to check it out at Rotten Tomatoes.

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