DVD Review: “3:10 to Yuma” (2007)

3:10 to Yuma, directed by James Mangold, USA, 2007. Review by Julian on 2/17/08.

People tend to belabor the point, so I’ll just say what all of us already know: remakes suck.  For every Fistful of Dollars or Ocean’s Eleven there’s about twenty Psycho’s or Italian Job’s.  But re-making 3:10 to Yuma, a stoic western that not too many people remember…that can’t be too bad, right?

Nah. It’s still pretty bad.  Like most recent remakes, this 2007 retread of the Delmer Daves original introduces a lot but adds nothing.  Utilizing thirty additional minutes of runtime, director James Mangold (who also put together the equally-overlong and often pointless Walk the Line) meanders through various subplots and narrative convolutions that ultimately detract from the central conceit.  The film’s screenwriters throw in some impetuous kids, give the villain a bible to thump, and lengthen the second act so that some minor characters can fall victim to the old pick ‘em off. I guess they felt they had to pad things out to earn their pay, because all of the key scenes from the original have been lifted wholesale. Unfortunately, everything they’ve added is tedious at best, with Mangold’s uninspired direction making most of the film an artless chore.

The concept is very simple: Dan Evans (Christian Bale), a down on his luck farmer, is drawn into escorting notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to the 3:10 prison train to Yuma in exchange for the reward money.  This version clogs things up by giving Evans a Civil War injury and a rebellious son, but it’s supposed to be all about the dynamic between Evans and Wade, two tough men with more in common than they’d like to admit. The original starred Van Heflin and Glenn Ford, two black holes of charisma who somehow made their utter inability to express themselves a notable asset.

In this version, however, we get Bale and Crowe, two mismatched actors whose incompatible styles result in a distinct lack of chemistry. Bale emotes just fine, and certainly looks gritty enough, but it gets painful to watch himself repeatedly throw himself against the brick wall that is Crowe.  I’ve defended Crowe in the past, but his performance here is abjectly terrible. Instead of bringing anything to the character, he just walks around for two hours with a smug expression that seems to say, “I’m a big star. Yeah…I’m pretty cool.” This may be the worst leading performance in a major movie this year. I mean, when you make Glenn Ford look like a nuanced character actor, it’s time to seriously reevaluate.

Things are redeemed ever so slightly by Ben Foster, who as Wade’s number one man is as cool as ever. If you don’t recognize Foster’s name yet, be sure that it’s only a matter of time.  He brings something unique to every performance, be it a cockeyed glance, an unusual dialect, or just an odd way of carrying himself. Keep an eye out for him, as he’s likely to steal every film he’s in.

Especially when they’re as boring as this one. Any time I check out a new rendition of something – be it a song, a mythic narrative, a film—I’m looking for a change. It doesn’t have to be objectively better, just solid and different enough to justify the effort. Well, aside from being a half hour longer, the new 3:10 to Yuma features weaker performances and direction, a bloated plot that undercuts the key dynamic, and a brief cameo by Luke Wilson. Luke Wilson? I thought this movie was trying not to suck?

Rating: 2 screens out of 5