| |  | DVD 3:10 to Yuma [Blu-ray] |  | | | | | | | | | | Rating:  - An action remake of a dramatic western
In my opinion The 3:10 to Yuma is better than the original version of the movie. Christian Bale is great as the determined homesteader. Russell Crowe appropriately downplays and humanizes the desparado. This movie is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of violence and action in the modern version.
Rating:  - Much better than expected
3:10 to Yuma (Widescreen Edition)
When I saw the original movie, I was really impressed with Glen Ford's protrayal.But this latest edition is equally well done.The ending was off the chain.
Rating:  - How the west was won. Not!
Some may consider this a spoiler for this somewhat farcical western, so you may want to see it before reading this review. However the real spoilers were those who thought they needed to "shmaltz-up" this old western.
It takes a lot of chutzpah to take a classic and think you can hype it up and make it better. The result in this case made it highly improbable, with characters playing with and "fanning" their sixguns. Anyone who has ever fired a handgun knows it's hard enough to hit your target while aiming, let alone fanning, something that is strictly old Hollywood-ish. Then the one "main" villian playing with his sixguns, constantly drawing and reholstering them--another Hollywood improbability. Further, the only way this movie's ending could have been even more absurd is if Crowe's character, Ben Wade, had made a noose and hanged himself. I also felt very sorry for Wade's horse trying to pursue that 3:10 to Yuma without running itself to death. I love westerns. If you want to view behavior that was more likely in those days, see "Lonesome Dove" and "Open Range" for starters. Then take a trip to Tombstone, AZ, and see the realistic reenactment of the OK Corral gunfight, which took about 30 seconds, not minutes, with participants standing so close to one another that they could almost have clubbed each other to death. Further, only fools came to those battles without a weapon already in their hand, as opposed to seeing who could draw and fire fastest. Their goal was staying alive and not showing off to see who was the fastest draw.
Those that thought this mostly hokey movie was realistic should stick to watching the old Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy movies and other contrived "Mother Goose" fairy-tale westerns where almost everyone wore "Buscadero" rigs which didn't exist until developed for 1940s Hollywood Westerns. Further, I don't understand what one reviewer means by "trigger[ing] his gun by thumb"? How awkward it would be to use your thumb on the trigger unless one is trying to shoot themselves--which I almost expected Ben Wade to do at the hilarious end. And, saying "Fanning was mostly for speed...[sic] not accuracy, like cover fire," which is so ridiculous that I had to LOL. Cover fire? Those were SIX-shooters, and the typical gunbelt in those days only had room for another 24-rounds--except maybe those of Andy Devine's girth. It's not like they are using modern M-4 assault refles with several 30-round magazines.
If you read up on history of the American West, you will find that those who were successful (i.e., survived) relied on accuracy not speed. Or maybe you'd like TV's "Heroes"-like Westerns with the cowboys wearing capes and flying rather than riding horses. If you like fairy-tales, better stick with Mother Goose. BTW, sixguns used for fanning by tricksters must have modified sears inasmuch as anyone who knows anything about single-action revolvers (such as the Colt Single Action Army) knows that fanning can cause the sear to break rendering the weapon as useless as those who think fanning is effective for providing covering fire. When all the ammo you have is 24 rounds, you can't provide a lot of covering fire unless you also have a Gattling gun at your disposal and a crew to reload the magazines. In addition, those who carried two handguns (which was rare) did not fire both at once as that couldn't be done with any degree of accuracy (except perhaps by reviewer M. Edgar). They did so because it lessened the chance of having to reload at some critical moment if they carried only one gun and were poor marksmen.
Reviewer Mercer, who takes no umbrage with improbablity, would have loved all the old John Wayne war movies (such as "Sands of Iwo Jima") in which, as USMC SGT Fran Striker, he carried an M1 rifle that he was never seen reloading, and which would have been impossible anyway as he never had any ammo pouches or carried any bandoliers which was not uncommon in the old war movies.
Rating: - Wonderful movie!
I loved it.Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are fabulous.I watched this with my husband one evening after the kids were in bed, and I stayed awake for the whole thing (I'm notorious for falling asleep once a movie begins)!It kept my attention from beginning to end.Great flick.
Rating: - Probably the most event-filled trip to the train station you'll ever experience
I'm not huge on westerns, but I eventually get around to 'em if word of mouth is good on this title or that.And I heard good things about "3:10 to Yuma".Also pulling me in was all the talent both in front of and behind the camera.So was it good?Yep.
Excellent scenery, excellent action (of both the realistic and "big summer movie" overblown-but-fun variety), and excellent characterizations make this one a must-see.Simple as that.Other reviews will give you more, but really, that's all you need to know.Better to go into "3:10 to Yuma" without knowing every little thing about every little aspect of it.
Director James Mangold makes me smile, though.He hates to send you out of the theater on a downer note (see "Cop Land", where he restores the deaf sheriff's hearing in the final moments).So, although it seems in the final minute that one of the characters has learned something during the course of the movie and- a grim look on his face- will now accept his deserved fate, in the final five SECONDS of the film we essentially get a joke with a horse that thoroughly undoes that mood and sends the audience out with a chuckle.Oh, well- the implications of that final, final ending are actually kind of grim, too (with the movie cynically observing that a dog can't change his spots), so I guess technically I can't complain that the closing moments aren't in tune with the grimmess preceding it.And, make no mistake, "3:10 to Yuma" is pretty grim overall. But like the best westerns, the grim tone doesn't bring it down, but informs, complicates, and enriches the movie.
My standard DVD of "3:10 to Yuma" featured an excellent widescreen image and a glorious sound palette.A handful of extras, concerning the movie itself and the period of history it covers, provided an hour or so of interesting viewing after the movie was over.
So, don't hesitate to buy your ticket and catch the ol' 3:10 to Yuma.Just make sure you're ready to duck, 'cause the bullets will definitely be flyin'.
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