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SYNOPSIS:
Infamous
outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his vicious gang of thieves
and murderers have plagued the Southern Railroad. When Wade
is captured, Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Christian Bale),
struggling to survive on his drought-plagued ranch, volunteers
to deliver him alive to the "3:10 to Yuma", a train
that will take the killer to trial. On the trail, Evans and
Wade, each from very different worlds, begin to earn each
other’s respect. But with Wade’s outfit on their
trail – and dangers at every turn – the mission
soon becomes a violent, impossible journey toward each man's
destiny.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Although the sun is setting on the western genre,
the few western movies that are being produced in recent years
are often the crème of the crops (or at least in this
review’s list of top notch movies). 3:10 to Yuma is
no exception.
Perhaps it’s the setting of morality struggle in the
vast lands where unlawful activities still thrive in a supposedly
lawful nation that makes it such a juicy subject to work on.
Or perhaps it represents the survivor of the fittest in the
brink of the coming civilization. 3:10 to Yuma is packed with
all those elements mentioned above and without a doubt, 3:10
to Yuma shines mainly due to the two leads, Russell Crowe
and Christian Bale.
Both
stars represent the different ends of the law and yet endearing
in their own rights. As notorious as Russell Crowe’s
Ben Wade was, it’s not hard to get charms by his charismatic
rogue persona. His action maybe unlawful but it’s so
easy to be tempted by him to join him in the wrong side of
the law. In a way, Ben Wade symbolizes the lure of sins.
On the
other hand, Christian Bale’s Dave Evans is as unattractive
as the chore of following virtue. His unrelenting pursue and
drive to put Ben Wade on the train to Yuma could either be
admired at or easily made fun of. His actions although noble
and honorable, were questionable in times where the unlawful
thrives.
As
both characters travel to their destination, they face more
trials and obstacles in their ways that helped them bond in
an uneasy fashion. It’s a intriguing ride to see how
Ben Wade tries to change Dave Evans’ perspective of
right and wrongs while Dave Evans continue to impress Ben
Wade with his steadfast principles. Eventually, only one can
succeed by the dateline and it was one hell of a ride to catch
that 3:10 train.
3:
10 to Yuma is packed with intense moments and rich characterization
in the western setting. Without a doubt, 3:10 to Yuma is one
of the finest western flicks that produced this year and it
shouldn’t be missed.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Ironically, the Extras are presented in widescreen
while the film itself is presented in fullscreen.
Destination Yuma (20.57 mins)
Although this making of documentary seems longer than most
documentaries are presented in R3 dvds, it felt rather short
as it was cramping various different sparse information on
the making of this film. This documentary covers a range of
aspects that made this film feels more real and true to the
western genre compared to the other films that often heavily
utilize special effects or camera angle to get away with it.
Such as filming it on set instead of soundstage and even using
an actual steam engine train by laying tracks for the train
to run on it.
There
are also other trivial information on Stunts that shows how
the flipping of the wagon was gone to how Charlie Prince’s
costume defers from Ben Wade’s one. There is just too
much interesting information but under the 20 minutes boundaries,
everything seems to just whiz away and will likely to leave
viewers who enjoyed 3:10 to Yuma asking for more.
Outlaws, Gangs and Posses (12.54 mins)
This segment had experts sharing the myths and legend behind
the classic fabled Westerns tales and what made them so uniquely
attractive. Giving us the fascinating insights on what made
some honest folks turning into bandits and how dirty it was
back in the old days.
An Epic Explored (6.21 mins)
More love is being showered for the Western Genre. Director,
Actors and various crew members shared on their take of the
timeless charms of the Western Genre and how it differs from
other movie genres.
Deleted Scenes
Some extended dialogues by various supporting characters had
been snipped off from the main movie and presented here. They
are of final finish quality and I won’t be surprise
in time to come, it could be added into the main movie and
be presented as the extended version.
One of my favorite deleted scenes would be “Were you
sincere about Mexico” segment, when Emmy Nelson asked
Ben Wade before he is send off in captivity. On one hand,
it exemplifies Ben Wade’s “heartless bad guy”
character and the other, playfully reveals Emmy Nelson’s
true feelings against what she said when she mocked at Ben’s
suggestion to head down to Mexico. On the technically aspect,
watching this deleted sequence and the one in the final film
will help you appreciate the subtle use of soundtracks to
cover the tracks of editing.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Simply Fun’s edition of 3:10 to Yuma comes in Full Screen
format. That being said, it still boosts one of the riches
visual that I had seen on a code 3 dvds. This film is supported
with English and Chinese subtitles.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Richard Lim Jr
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