3:10 to Yuma

A superb renaissance of the classic American western with all the trimmings, including the genre rules (and their weaknesses), that fulfills the meaning of words like honor or principled to the max. Whoever is criticizing the ending so vehemently should watch the film again because that is exactly what the film has been heading toward all along. Crowe and Bale are traditionally delightful, and all the more surprising is Ben Foster's cold-blooded butcher. Mangold has made arguably the best western since the early millennium. (11/30/2007)

I think the only thing I’ve watched less than western is Japanese anime, so I can’t evaluate this film objectively within the genre, but what I can say is that, up until a certain moment, I was so immersed that I was considering the highest rating, mostly thanks to the performances of the trio Crowe, Foster, and Bale. But that ending! It’s the biggest WTF I’ve seen in a long time. From the moment of the dialogue in the hotel room, when I first realised where things were heading, I hoped that it would turn out differently. Unfortunately, it didn’t and Yuma lost all its credibility and seriousness, which brought the rating to an average three stars. It’s a shame. (12/01/2008)

I’m not a big fan of westerns and I was mainly drawn to 3:10 to Yuma for its cast. And really, both Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are seriously excellent and whenever these two get a look in, it’s well worth it. The story is a little shaky and the characters’ motivations are sometimes really strange, but when you stop delving into details you get more than a decent watch. I think it’s a bit of a shame that Mangold kept his feet so firmly on the ground and didn’t push hard enough, especially in the action scenes. Even though it could be seen as respect for the genre. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised and although westerns really aren’t my cup of tea, I liked this picture a lot. I think that this had a lot to do with Beltrami’s excellent music. (10/26/2007)

3:10 to Yuma starts out as a perfectly crafted Western, but it gradually starts to lose its drive in the second half and at the very end becomes a gooey, overly emotional tear-jerker defying not only plausibility, but also common sense. That’s a great pity. It could have been an excellent contribution to the Western genre, as Russell Crowe’s performance alone overshadows all classic Western actors put together. (03/12/2008)

Perhaps even fewer good westerns have been made over the past ten years than there are directors of Leone’s caliber walking the Earth. Apart from The Proposition, nothing springs to mind in the new millennium. Until now with 3:10 to Yuma. It’s kind of sad, really, because it is nothing more than “just" a good western. Nothing more, nothing less. Which isn’t to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy those two dusty hours. I did, even though I’m someone who could’ve done without suffering the last five minutes. I consider the musical theme you can hear in the main menu and during the finale to be the biggest positive of the movie. I listened to it like fifty times already and will listen to it many times more. It makes me want to reconsider the one missing sheriff’s star in my rating. ♫ OST score: 4/5 (09/30/2008)