3:10 to Yuma

After a long time, a film where Bale's integrity did not upset me, probably because it was perfectly matched by the integrity of Russell Crowe. But how do you make a film where a good farmer and an evil outlaw stand against each other while maintaining integrity on both sides? Unfortunately, it is not without a certain awkwardness and playing for effect (especially in the end), but otherwise Mangold directed a stylish, raw and attractive genre spectacle. Moreover, sympathetically bearded, sweaty and old-fashioned. (01/08/2010)

Very nice. The writers clearly didn't have their strongest afternoon, but Mr. Director and the main duo thankfully redeem what they can. It's a shame though, I haven't seen a script with this many holes in a long time. Leaving aside my inability to pick up on Crowe's motivation for what he's doing at the end of the film (an effort to explain was made), why, for example, is everyone only fixated on the journey to the station when the villains could (in my experience of other westerns) just as easily have hit the train? Well, whatever... Crowe is talking, bullets are flying and blood is flowing, what more do you want from a western... well, maybe a little perspective. *SPOILER ALERT*: yeah btw I was quite pleased with the death of Dan at the end – finally the death of the main villain, where he didn't have time to spill his entire autobiography and salute his relatives before his last breath. (28/06/2009)

Very well designed sets, with the rough realities of the wild west and everything that belongs to it, and unfortunately also a quite crazy ending, which undermines the whole thing. The last five minutes are truly unbelievable. If the director meant it as irony, then I didn't perceive its sophistication. But if the final confession of the villain was supposed to be sincere, then it was very laughable. By the way, Russel Crowe as a smart bandit is captivating – even better than Christian Bale. The action is relatively dull and uninteresting, with unrealistic shootouts, several obvious dead ends where the heroes miraculously avoid being shot, just like running through a rain of bullets without any getting hit. Alan Tudyk is excellent as a psychopath, his character was absolutely unpredictable. How good of a western 3:10 to Yuma is, is something you have to judge for yourself. Some will like it, some will not. However, it is neither old-school nor renaissance, this product has too many modern, mainstream elements. (17/07/2008)

3:10 to Yuma starts out as a perfectly crafted Western, but it gradually starts to lose its drive in the second half and at the very end becomes a gooey, overly emotional tear-jerker defying not only plausibility, but also common sense. That’s a great pity. It could have been an excellent contribution to the Western genre, as Russell Crowe’s performance alone overshadows all classic Western actors put together. (12/03/2008)

Perhaps even fewer good westerns have been made over the past ten years than there are directors of Leone’s caliber walking the Earth. Apart from The Proposition, nothing springs to mind in the new millennium. Until now with 3:10 to Yuma. It’s kind of sad, really, because it is nothing more than “just" a good western. Nothing more, nothing less. Which isn’t to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy those two dusty hours. I did, even though I’m someone who could’ve done without suffering the last five minutes. I consider the musical theme you can hear in the main menu and during the finale to be the biggest positive of the movie. I listened to it like fifty times already and will listen to it many times more. It makes me want to reconsider the one missing sheriff’s star in my rating. ♫ OST score: 4/5 (30/09/2008)