3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Better Late Then Never

The first must-see film of the year.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Really well shot western about a Rancher and the bad guy he promises to put on a train to jail. Good chemistry in the acting, but it's a bit slow. A little tighter editing (which might have hurt the beautiful shots) would have helped.

3:10 to Yuma (1957): Dir: Delmer Daves / Cast: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Henry Jones, Falicia Farr, Robert Emhardt: Suspense western regarding endurance within the confines of danger. An outlaw is apprehended and set for the train arriving at 3:10 heading to Yuma. Structure is mainly a room overlooking the streets where criminal Ben Wade attempts to convince Dan Evans to let him go. Director Delmer Daves does a fine job at creating tension but perhaps his villain is too likable. Glenn Ford plays the sly Wade who is arrested and readied for transportation but his gang is closing in once a diversion fails. Wade is experiencing some hospitality from Evans, which doesn't go unnoticed. Van Heflin portrays Evans who suffers the drought and accepts the job of transporting Wade. He has integrity even at the safety of Wade but he will remain at his duty. Henry Jones plays town drunk Alex Potter who provides comic relief despite very standard writing. He fails to fully comprehend the potential consequences of undertaking this task. Falicia Farr plays a saloon waitress whom Wade dazzles. She is very good but the role becomes more distant as the story moves on. Robert Emhardt is the one who makes the charge and the cash offer for this task to be performed. High Noon dealt with similar themes but with greater conviction while this film is somewhat hooky but entertaining. Score: 6 / 10

Years and years ago, I saw "3:10 to Yuma" and loved it. However, seeing it about 30 years later, I am struck how many illogical plot elements there are in the film--too many to make this a truly memorable western.When the film begins, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) and his gang are holding up the stage. In order to make this easier, they've stampeded some of a local rancher's cattle into the path of the wagon. Dan Evans (Van Heflin) can't do anything to stop the men from doing this with his cattle, as it's just him and his two small sons against a dozen vicious killers. Additionally, Evans is a pragmatic guy and doesn't want to be a hero.Later, after Wade is captured, the local Marshall wants to take the gang leader into Yuma to be tried for murder and robbery. However, there's a problem--the town is minuscule and he needs help. One of the guys he enlists is Evans. While Evans is hesitant to risk his life, he's about to lose his ranch--and the reward money could sure help him. So far, this is a very good western. The dilemma is interesting and Evans is an interesting sort of anti-hero. However, as the film progresses many problems are very noticeable. First and foremost, Wade tries several times to escape and even nearly kills several people in the process. So why not just shoot him?! After all, if a prisoner tries to escape, you shoot him. And, with his gang of thugs wandering about, you really cannot see why they didn't kill the murderer. It isn't like there's any doubt that he is a killer-- he admits it and was witnessed doing the killing. So why allow him to repeatedly try to escape and threaten to have the various posse members killed?! Kill the jerk!! Later, when his gang does arrive and they start killing off the posse members, STILL Evans doesn't shoot Wade...and you wonder why!! To make matters worse, the final scene shows Evans hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded--and then Wade does something that makes sense only to a script writer!! No criminal in the history of mankind would ever have done what Wade then did...NONE! Highly illogical.

The film is almost like another Gary Cooper's "High Noon." While just about everyone has abandoned him, farmer Van Heflin seeks to deliver Glenn Ford to the train so that he can be prosecuted for the killing he committed.I wondered what this film would have been like had Ford and Heflin reversed roles. Both were such good character actors, that they would have easily been able to portray the other's part.This is a film dealing with high ethical standards, a farmer and his family enduring a drought, and even the villain coming to his senses in the end. Apparently, he was impressed with the Heflin character.