3:10 to Yuma
Russell Crowe plays a desperado whose accomplices stage an ambush after he is taken into custody by a determined local sheriff in this remake of the 1957 film starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. James Mangold directs a script based on the Elmore Leonard short story and penned by Stuart Beattie, Michael Brandt, and Derek Haas.
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Ben Foster
James Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma restores the wounded heart of the Western and rescues it from the morass of pointless violence.
The finest American Westerns have a characteristic that 3:10 to Yuma shares. In a way that's almost mystical, they suggest a truth beyond the specifics of the tale.
James Mangold directs it with such energy and passion that it's as if he didn't know it's all been done before.
Both actors are among the best, most intuitively creative we have, and whatever transpires offscreen in Crowe's case, onscreen they only serve their characters. Neither man showboats here, and it's a thrill to watch them work.
This is how a Western today tries to give us more bang for the buck. By working this hard to be a crowd-pleaser, though, it may please fewer crowds.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Academy Awards (2008)
Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2008)
Best Supporting Actor
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (2007)
Best Composer
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2008)
Best Ensemble
Central Ohio Film Critics Association (2008)
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