Mangold and his trio of screenwriters treat that first film as if it were a play that needed opening up. The premise is the same but now there is a longer ride to the railway station involving travel through dangerous Indian territory and then through a mine where major gunplay and explosives are employed. When they finally get to the town, there's not much time before the train arrives but the odds against making it to the train have been so drastically increased that the end becomes unbelievably absurd.
Russell Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate)
Although I object to the opening up of the story and the increased scale, I do think there are some things the remake gets right. As with the Aussie western The Proposition, 3:10 to Yuma tackles questions about bringing law and order to the lawless west, and about the moral gray zone some of the characters inhabit. There are times when those who are supposed to be representing society and order are guilty of horrible violence and abuse. So are they any better or worse that than the outlaw Wade? The institutions that are being robbed by Wade are willing to pay some people who are not much better than thugs to help capture and transport Wade. So what does that say about the civilizing of the old west? At the end, there's a nice sequence in which Wade and Evans run through new construction on their way to the 3:10 train. It's almost as if those newly built housing frames represent a new west that's still in the process of being built. In this version, there are seems to be more of a connection between Wade and Evans, they both seem to be more intelligent and contemplative than those around them.
In some ways, I also like Crowe's Wade better than Ford's. Crowe's Wade has darker shadings or is at least more willing to admit to them. Ford's Wade was just a little too likable and not quite dangerous enough. Crowe delivers a strong performance as Wade. It's a low key performance with outbursts of violence. He makes Wade seem like a man who's aware of the fact that times are changing and there may not be a place for his time. He also seems to be growing weary of his lifestyle and of his lowly co-horts. Bale has to struggle a little more with Evans because the script shortchanges the character. But ultimately the two actors square off nicely. But their relationship lacks the psychological tension of the first film.
Russell crowe and Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate)
In the supporting cast Peter Fonda does a mean turn as the tough guard on the stage coach and Ben Foster does gives his tightly wound psycho spin to the role of Wade's devoted sidekick. Gretchen Mol appears ever so briefly as Evans' wife.
Stylistically, Mangold tries in some respects to make this a realistic western. So people barely bathe or shave. And characters like Fonda's Byron McElroy have a very lived in quality to them. The violence has a grit and discomfort that's effective. But then Mangold gets seduced by the western mythology and allows Wade to flip and spin his guns in a needlessly flashy fashion, and the action near the mine and the shootout at the end are both unrealistic.
3:10 to Yuma (rated R for violence and some language) is solid western fare, nothing to get wildly excited about but definitely serviceable, and with commendable performances by Crowe and Bale.
Companion viewing: 3:10 to Yuma (1957), High Noon, Hammers Over the Anvil -----
