3:10 to Yuma
Westerns have
long had traditionally clear conceptions of heroes and villains, down to the
very presentation of these types based upon the color of their clothing. In the
earliest westerns the good guy wore white and the bad guys black, making it
very easy for the audience to follow in the age of silent cinema. Delmer Daves’
3:10 to Yuma Yuma
The bad guy is
Ben Wade, a role that actor Glenn Ford wanted over the role of the heroic
farmer Dan Evans, which was instead given to Van Heflin. Wade is an outlaw with
a loyal crew following his every order. They are so loyal that there is not
even a remark when Wade kills one of his own men during a holdup when he is
taken hostage by the driver of the stagecoach. Rather than listen to the
driver’s demands, he simply kills both of them quickly and moves on.
When Wade is
captured in a nearby town, it is the loyalty of his crew which brings the
biggest threat to his captors. The small town’s law wants to quickly ship Wade
away to a bigger city for trial, but is in danger of attack from Wade’s crew in
the process. Struggling farmer Evans agrees to take Wade to the train station
and accompany him on the 3:10 to Yuma
The suspense is
peppered with a number of conversations between prisoner and his captor during
this wait, and we learn more about the integrity Evans has and the complexities
behind Wade’s own personality. The screenplay was based on an early short story
by Elmore Leonard, who has stated this to be one of his favorite adaptations of
his work.
The Blu-ray
release includes a newly restored 4K
digital film transfer, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, as well as an
alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack with DTS-HD Master Audio. The disc’s special
features include new interviews with Leonard and Glenn Ford’s son, Peter. There
is also a booklet insert with an essay from film critic Kent Jones.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
Disc Features: 7/10
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