3:10 to Yuma. What is truly a bad man?

(A review byDanny del Mazo)

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Westerns have never been my cup of tea, with the exception of a few notable entries, Tombstone being one of them. Val Kilmar's indelible and enjoyable performance as Doc Holliday in that film was enough to draw even the non converted. But in this era of cash-in sequels and cheap remakes, I was easily skeptical about 3:10 to Yuma, the new film by director James Mangold (Walk the Line). Based on the 1957 film of the same name, this contemporary counterpart stars Christian Bale and the always-amazing Russell Crowe as two men on different sides of the law, but in the details of their personalities and the evolving bond between the two, they cast almost the same shadow.

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To put it simply, western or not, this is a great film . . . period. The writing was topnotch, the acting equally superb, and the characters had dimensions, which is more than can be said of most big-budget films these days. It's no mystery that with the summer movie season over, the notion in Hollywood is that it's "time to get serious." Most of the films released in the fall are fighting the good fight all the way to the Oscar-battlefield. Therefore, I hope this film gets considerable recognition, most especially for the performances. Christian Bale, whose tackled in his career some of the most creative and challenging roles including American Psycho and The Machinist, is most recently known as the man who breathed new life into the character of Batman in the 2005 film Batman Begins and it's forthcoming, much anticipated sequel, The Dark Knight, coming in the summer of 2008. His role as Dan Evans in 3:10 to Yuma is almost flawless. He is a man of strong principle and conviction trying his best to set an example of honest living for his family. This naturally brings him into conflict with the "villain of the piece," Ben Wade, Russell Crowe, who believes that life is far too short and precious to play by the rules.

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Like many other films of similar genres, the story is one which endeavors to humanize the monster. The sub text of 3:10 to Yuma is one rich in morality themes and explores the many shades of black and white. In the film, Ben Wade (Crowe) is captured by the authorities and placed on the 3:10 train to Yuma to be hung for his crimes at Contention. With the lack of law enforcers in the city, Dan Evans ( Bale), an honest rancher struggling to support his family in the midst of a dreadful drought plaguing the farmland, volunteers to aide in transporting the prisoner to the 3:10 for a hansom fee. In the course of their journey, Ben challenges Dan’s beliefs and his unwillingness to admit that life's cruelties warrant a larger perspective than the simple nature of right and wrong. It leads Dan to question his own situation, pondering the possibility of sparing his wife and child from their daily agony at the expense of his unswerving nobility.

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The film asks the question, what is truly a bad man? Is it okay to cheat in life? The great thing about this film is that we often feel more for Russell Crowe's character, who could easily be characterized as the bad man, and is often more likable as a character than Christian Bale. As an audience member, you feel somewhat at a loss in choosing whom to root for, and that's great fodder for good storytelling. In one scene, Ben Wade explains to Dan Evans that, "In this world, men have always taken what they wanted because it's just in their nature." This notion is comparable to a page ripped directly from Nietzsche, which says, "Exploitation does not belong to the primitive or corrupt society . . . it belongs to the essence of what lives, as a basic organic function." People often do good and bad things, but they are not products of the brooding schism of "I am" and "I am not." Should they be categorized by arrogant assertions of unproven moral approximations? Is there really such a thing as pure evil? In 3:10 to Yuma, Ben chooses to speak only to Dan, for he accuses his other captors of not having anything interesting to say and actually asks one of them, "Have you ever read any other book beside the Bible?" The man responds by saying, "I don't need to read anything else."

"I don't need to read anything else."

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If the film tries to say anything, it's that nothing is absolute, and that realization is usually the first step toward a higher understanding of the subtleties of life. Watching Russell Crowe in this film, I couldn't help but hear Al Pacino's voice in one of his signature scenes in the cult classic Glengarry Glen Ross: "When you die, you're going to regret the things you don't do. You think you're queer, let me tell you something, we're all queer. You think you're a thief, so what? You get befuddled by a middle class morality, shut it out. Ignore it. Cheated on your wife, you did it. Live with it. You think there's an absolute morality, maybe. If you think there is, go ahead, be that thing! Bad people go to hell. I don't think so. Hell exists on earth, yes. I won't live in it."

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I remember being on the Fox Studio Lot when the final sound effects and foley mixing were done on Walk the Line, James Mangold’s previous directorial effort. The film starred Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon and went on to much critical acclaim. I felt the film was very well-directed and was eager to see what his follow-up film would be. I was not disappointed with 3:10 to Yuma and I don’t expect anyone else will be.

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GeNeRaCiOn AsErE/ Danny del Mazo


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