3:10 to Yuma

Do you like Westerns?

They’ve always been hit or miss with me. I suppose our generation will never have a unifying genre like the Western with our split between science fiction, action, blockbuster, romantic comedy, etc. While there have been some notable Westerns over the past decade or so, the frequency of their appearance in Hollywood has waned substantially since their heyday.

I think that’s a shame, partner.

For one thing, few genres capture the true American spirit like the Western. The idea is always that there is a man on his own (or close to it), honor-bound to follow the law and bring justice to the evil men who prey on his people. Underneath every Western, you find a character who holds a Libertarian world view. If for no other reason than this, I think Westerns can be a valuable tool to teach us personal responsibility and self-reliance.

The last Western that I thoroughly enjoyed was Tombstone. When I saw that Russell Crowe was playing a villain in 3:10 to Yuma, I could not resist watching the movie. Christian Bale plays the lead “good” guy. He’s a down-on-his luck rancher with only a partial leg, the result of a wound taken during the civil war. The railroad land barons are seeking to starve him and his family off of his ranch unless he can come up with some money to pay off a debt. Enter Russell Crowe’s outlaw band who rob a stage coach full of railroad money on the rancher’s land. The end result is that Crowe’s character is captured, and Bale is the de facto leader of a posse to deliver him to a prison train that goes to Yuma, AZ. Bale is promised a sum of money for successful delivery.

We learn interesting things about both characters during the course of the movie. Both of them play their roles to perfection, each of them perfectly believable. Bale performs with a quiet desperation, while Crowe exudes a quiet intensity that still seems smooth and relaxed. It is a stretch to imagine him as a cold-blooded killer, as he lulls his captors with smooth words, jokes, and a warm, easy manner. Only in the infrequent periods of violence does he show his true capacity for vileness. When they come, you are almost disappointed. You want to like Crowe’s character very much, but the story unfolds in such a way that just as you think you’re going to like him, something awful occurs at his hands.

This film, at its core, is about the relationship between the two men. They couldn’t be more different, but each develops an understanding with the other that borders on the empathic. The climax of the movie is fitting and satisfying, although probably not what most film-goers will expect.

The cinematography and the excellent sound editing make this a must-see on the big screen.