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Printer-Friendly ModeWestern has atmosphere but lacks believability
September 10, 2007 —
One thing is certain after leaving 3:10 to Yuma: director James Mangold can master almost any atmosphere. He pulled off the grimy world of corrupt law enforcement in Copland, made you feel slightly insane with Girl, Interrupted, and captured the magic and tragedy of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. Unfortunately in all of these films, just as Yuma, Mangold can't seem to pull off the whole package.
Yuma is a remake of a Glenn Ford western from 1957 of the same name. It follows the story of two men whose paths cross for all the wrong reasons. Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a poor rancher about to lose his land to the railroad. Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is a notorious stagecoach robber who causes nothing but mayhem and murder. Wade's capture leads Evans to take up the job in assisting a ragtag bunch in getting Wade to a train in Yuma for $200.
Mangold's atmospheric prowess doesn't fail in the western genre. Yuma certainly looks like a western, and one of the better looking ones in some time. The action, though slightly dispersed throughout the film, doesn't leave anyone who knows the genre disappointed, keeping it gritty and real every time.
Yuma begins to falter with its actors, however. Almost every supporting character on the screen leaves you wanting--especially the meant-to-be-badass second-in-command played by Ben Foster. While he manages to easily look the part, as soon as he opens his mouth any fear he could have evoked is gone. Peter Fonda fails to emit any sort of threat or competence as an aged bounty hunter, and Luke Wilson shows up to play a rugged torturer for one scene, which--as expected--doesn't play.
Worse than any of the actors, however, is the script. The dynamic and parallel between Wade and Evans is fantastic, and Crowe and Bale are in top form throughout the film. The problem lies in their characters' motivations.
Both men make numerous decisions throughout the film that leave you wondering why. Then there are the small holes: Evans complaining to his wife about their starving children when they just fed what looked like a twelve ounce steak to the captive Wade, among other guests. A man surviving for a good hour with a bullet in his stomach in the old West and then managing only moments after the bullet's removal to walk.
The worst comes in the last half hour of the film. Wade's motivations for almost every decision in the finale are either non-existent or so ludicrous that they make less sense then the twelve ounce steak from earlier.
In the end, Yuma delivers on action and style. It even makes for some great moments to be shared between Crowe and Bale, but the sheer insanity of their characters' motivations leaves you unable to either empathize or sympathize with them and leaving the theatre with the gritty feel of the film.