It's the getting to the station which is the problem!

nullnullnullNew post up, a review for the film 3:10 to Yuma...

Dan Evans is a ranch owner but he owes money, his barn gats burnt down and he and his family are given one week to pay up or loose the ranch. He is out trying to rescue his herd with his two boys when he spots a wagon being hijacked by the notorious Ban Wade and his gang.

Wade takes the money and the gang head for the town where they take over the bar and share out the loot. The sheriff and the marshal are told of the hijack and set out to rescue their money.

Evans arrives in town as he has followed Wade and he demands payment from him for his two lost cows, Wade pays up but unbeknown to him the law are waiting and capture him. Wade is arrested and soon a gang of men are rounded up to get Wade onto the 3:10 train to Yuma where he will stand trial and be hung. Evans agrees to accompany Wade and the gang for a payment which will mean he gets to keep the ranch.

This is no easy task trying to get Wade to the train as the remainder of his gang are in hot pursuit to rescue him. Can Evans and the men get Wade to the train and can Evans keep his ranch?

This is a film which I have been undecided about for a good few month now, each time I look at the DVD on the shelf I pick this one up but always end up putting it back down. I am glad that I did finally buy it as both me and hubby thoroughly enjoyed the whole film. The story was very good and interesting, it was slightly different to all the previous cowboy films I have watched which star the usual actors, John Wayne in particular and I thought there was just the right amount of story and action all mixed together.

The acting was excellent, the role of Evans was played by Christian Bale and he suited the role very well. He had a good look which at times was very mean and moody and I thought he suited the cowboy hat very well. He seemed at ease in the role and delivered all of his lines very well. He was an injured man with only one real leg and he managed to carry this element of his character on throughout the whole film. He did have a slightly softer side which came across when he was on screen with wife and sons, I liked the depth we got to see from him and found I was easily about to understand him. He worked very well with the role of Wade and there was a good connection with them despite one being a prisoner and the other his captor. The role of Wade was played by Russell Crowe and he too gave a great performance. Hew as a strong man who seemed to live a carefree life killing and steeling, he came across for the majority of the film to have no conscious about what he had done but there were one or two times when he did open up slightly and we got some insight into how his mind worked. He was great working with the weapons and horses and he too seemed very at ease. There was a roughness to both the characters and I think this helped to make this film such a joy to watch.

We did have a lot of great supporting actors in the film and the few which stood out to me included, Logan Lerman playing the role of son William as he managed to show a different side to both Evans and Wade and he was very strong in his performance. I also found Ben Foster who played the role of Charlie Prince to be very strong and a good addition to the film.

The film was based in Arizona in the late 1800’s and I felt I got a very good feel of this era and way of life from the way the film was set and how the sets all looked. They all looked very authentic and basic and I felt a lot of time and attention had been given to making this so. I loved the old fashioned clothes and gun which were used. Some of the guns were massive and I really cannot believe people used them and carried them around so easily. The special effects which were used fort eh gun fights and shootings were all very good. Hubby did make a comment on the sounds the guns made when being fired, he said a lot of them sounded very real but there were one or two of the smaller pistols which sounded too tinny and high pitched. I have no idea how a fired gun should sound so this element did not bother me in the slightest. The wounds which the men got and the deaths were all very gruesome looking and the make up and effects were of a very high standard. I felt the actors all worked well with the horses and animals in the film and they all did seem very at ease when riding.

The music for the majority of the film was very good, there was a definitely orchestral feel to it and I did find it helped with the drama of the film, we always knew when something bad was coming from the music which was used. I just felt we needed slightly more as there was a lot of the film which had no background music.

The DVD which we have does have a few bonus features which include, Audio commentary with Director James Mangold, Destination Yuma, Outlaws, Gangs and posses, an epic explored, deleted scenes. I have not watched any of these so I am not able to make comment on them. I have included them in this review for those who may now wish to purchase the DVD to watch them and not just wait to see the film on the TV. I am listing this review as a film only one though and not a DVD one as I have not been able to make comment on them. The DVD only cost us £4 from Tesco and I did think this was a great price. The running time is 118 minutes and I found this to be a good length with the story moving at a good pace from start to finish. The rate is a 15 and I certainly agree with this as there is a lot of gun fights and violence right from the very start.

I am happy to give this film a good solid 4 stars and a high recommendation. The story was excellent and so to was the acting from all involved. I think for the extra star it needed slightly more music. This is well worth watching and even paying £4 for the DVD.