Spring Break
'Yuma' re-invents Old West
Nick Abel
Issue date: 9/1/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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After a summer of sequels, moviegoers may be begging for something fresh.
Something new, something different. Something without any car chases, familiar plot lines or expensive special effects. Oddly enough, the upcoming films of the fall season are actually something old.
The Old West to be exact.
Beginning in September, the first of two Westerns will be released as part of the fall lineup. The first is "3:10 to Yuma", released Sept. 7. Starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, the film is actually a remake of the same-titled 1957 picture starring Glenn Ford.
In the new version, Bale portrays the role of Dan Evans, a Civil War veteran-turned-rancher in the Arizona desert. After losing a leg in the line of duty, Dan's problems continue to mount against him. With an incessant drought scorching his land and the railroad looking to take control, Evans' luck seems to have dried up along with his crops. He tells his wife that nothing short of a miracle will save their doomed ranch.
Instead of a miracle, Evans gets a nightmare.
A nightmare named Ben Wade, played by Crowe. Wade is the epitome of the classic outlaw. He's mean, ruthless, but most of all intimidating. Unlike some criminals of this era, Wade doesn't kill to make another notch in his gun. In fact, he claims his gun is cursed. He sees what he wants and takes it, no remorse, no regrets. That is the code he lives by, and that code brings him into the story.
After a robbery, Wade and his men separate for a short time. While enjoying the charms of the local barmaid, Wade is arrested and taken captive. The detectives and railroad officials who capture him plan to transport him to the train station in the town of Contention, where he will then be taken to Yuma prison to await his death.
The captors know this journey will be dangerous, since Wade's men will surely be on the hunt to free their leader. Evans agrees to come along, but under the condition that his family be paid, regardless of his fate.
Something new, something different. Something without any car chases, familiar plot lines or expensive special effects. Oddly enough, the upcoming films of the fall season are actually something old.
The Old West to be exact.
Beginning in September, the first of two Westerns will be released as part of the fall lineup. The first is "3:10 to Yuma", released Sept. 7. Starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, the film is actually a remake of the same-titled 1957 picture starring Glenn Ford.
In the new version, Bale portrays the role of Dan Evans, a Civil War veteran-turned-rancher in the Arizona desert. After losing a leg in the line of duty, Dan's problems continue to mount against him. With an incessant drought scorching his land and the railroad looking to take control, Evans' luck seems to have dried up along with his crops. He tells his wife that nothing short of a miracle will save their doomed ranch.
Instead of a miracle, Evans gets a nightmare.
A nightmare named Ben Wade, played by Crowe. Wade is the epitome of the classic outlaw. He's mean, ruthless, but most of all intimidating. Unlike some criminals of this era, Wade doesn't kill to make another notch in his gun. In fact, he claims his gun is cursed. He sees what he wants and takes it, no remorse, no regrets. That is the code he lives by, and that code brings him into the story.
After a robbery, Wade and his men separate for a short time. While enjoying the charms of the local barmaid, Wade is arrested and taken captive. The detectives and railroad officials who capture him plan to transport him to the train station in the town of Contention, where he will then be taken to Yuma prison to await his death.
The captors know this journey will be dangerous, since Wade's men will surely be on the hunt to free their leader. Evans agrees to come along, but under the condition that his family be paid, regardless of his fate.
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