3:10 TO YUMA
starring: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe...
director: James Magnold
writer: Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas (Screenplay) Elmore Leonard (Short Story)
date: 09/09/07
reviewer: clarkey
rating: 7.0
Westerns have never been my favourite genre, but there have been some outstanding flicks about the American Western frontier, such as True Grit, The Shootist, Maverick, Tombstone, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Open Range. Will I include 3:10 to Yuma in that category? No, I will not, but it was still a decent flick and a good way to spend some time. Also, it is always nice change to see a modern day Western, even when it is another remake.
Christian Bale continues to impress me with his acting abilities and his brilliant choices of roles and films. Now, for Crowe, I know he is an asshole off screen, but you can't deny the fact that the man can act with the best of them. Ben Foster was good as Crowe's right hand man, but I want to see the dude be a protagonist like his role in Get Over It. The secondary characters were up to par with the leads; include Bale's on screen son, played by Logan Lerman. Other stand-outs include the legend Peter Fonda, the big guy from Mystery, Alaska Kevin Durand and the always funny Alan Tudyk.
The direction by James Magnold was good, but nowhere near his Walk the Line brilliance. The shaking camera shots seem to becoming the new thing in Hollywood, even when the characters are simply standing still, talking. It works for some films, such as Green Street Hooligans, but in this film, it just got to be very annoying. However, the action sequences were pretty solid and made up for some of the misdirections. The script was pretty solid, but I don't know how true it was to the original since I have not seen the 1957 version. The last act, with emphasis on the ending is what I thought was the most memorable part of the whole flick and the reason why I would lightly recommend this film to people.
director: James Magnold
writer: Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas (Screenplay) Elmore Leonard (Short Story)
date: 09/09/07
reviewer: clarkey
rating: 7.0
Westerns have never been my favourite genre, but there have been some outstanding flicks about the American Western frontier, such as True Grit, The Shootist, Maverick, Tombstone, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Open Range. Will I include 3:10 to Yuma in that category? No, I will not, but it was still a decent flick and a good way to spend some time. Also, it is always nice change to see a modern day Western, even when it is another remake.
Christian Bale continues to impress me with his acting abilities and his brilliant choices of roles and films. Now, for Crowe, I know he is an asshole off screen, but you can't deny the fact that the man can act with the best of them. Ben Foster was good as Crowe's right hand man, but I want to see the dude be a protagonist like his role in Get Over It. The secondary characters were up to par with the leads; include Bale's on screen son, played by Logan Lerman. Other stand-outs include the legend Peter Fonda, the big guy from Mystery, Alaska Kevin Durand and the always funny Alan Tudyk.
The direction by James Magnold was good, but nowhere near his Walk the Line brilliance. The shaking camera shots seem to becoming the new thing in Hollywood, even when the characters are simply standing still, talking. It works for some films, such as Green Street Hooligans, but in this film, it just got to be very annoying. However, the action sequences were pretty solid and made up for some of the misdirections. The script was pretty solid, but I don't know how true it was to the original since I have not seen the 1957 version. The last act, with emphasis on the ending is what I thought was the most memorable part of the whole flick and the reason why I would lightly recommend this film to people.