Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma

My rating: 8/10

Another western. After watching Seraphim Falls, I was half expecting this 3:10 to Yuma to be a little depressing but I was pleasantly surprised.

The colours in 3:10 are much more vibrant than Seraphim and the characters are more filled out. Although the story follows the protagonist, I had hoped the screenwriters would give the bad guys (Ben Wade's gang) more screen time. That mexican sniper and especially lightning fast Charlie Prince in particular would give this movie more action oriented entertainment value.

Whereas the concept of Seraphim Falls lie in the hunter and hunted plot, 3:10 to Yuma concerns us with the hunter being caught and being brought to justice. Although lacking a good music score, I took note of the ominous soundtrack that drove the movie.

Russell Crowe as the notorious Ben Wade is charismatic as is expected of him. Christian Bale's Evans as the struggling, down on his luck rancher makes me feel for him but throughout the movie I get the feeling there's more to this man than meets the eye. Perhaps the director intended to reel me into with my preoccupation with Evans.

Although I didn't really get the ending I though it was a unique although very unconventional way to end a story. In the end images of Charlie Prince, that stone-cold sleigh of hand gunfighter kept flashing through my mind.