3:10 to Yuma

2/9/2017

Room 207 and the 3:10 To Yuma. Van Heflin plays rancher Dan Evans whose family and livelihood is at breaking point due to a devastating drought. Needing money fast, Evans gets thrown a financial lifeline when a reward is offered to escort a recently captured outlaw, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford), on to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. But as Wade's gang closes in to free the shackled outlaw, and the clock starts to tick down, Evans finds himself torn between a sense of social duty and an easy option courtesy of Wade's mind game offer. Based on a story by Elmore Leonard, this is a tight and tense Western that harks to the wonderful High Noon five years earlier. Directed by Delmer Daves, 3:10 to Yuma sees two of the Western genre's most undervalued performers come together in perfect contrast. H

5/9/2018

A top 50’s Western with Glenn Ford only held back by the B&W photography RELEASED IN 1957 and directed by Delmer Daves, "3:10 to Yuma” is a Western about a struggling Arizona rancher, Dan Evans (Van Heflin), who has no choice but to hire-on as an escort of dangerous, but charismatic outlaw, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford). Wade proceeds to employ psychological manipulation in order to corrupt the righteous family man and escape. This is a quality psychological Western from the 50s, only held back by the B&W photography. The Arizona landscapes are spectacular but they’re all for naught due to this flat B&W presentation. Nevertheless, the story & characters are great. The mind games Wade plays with Evans keeps things interesting. Felicia Farr, the hottie from Glenn Ford’s excellent “Jubal” (1956

8/8/2021

Interesting watch, especially after the remake (which improved on some plot holes). The first half is a "typical western" that you could easily see Wayne or Stewart in. But the second half (once they arrive in Contention), sees this turn into more of a psychological drama. Especially surprising is that Wade's torments actually seem to break the hero, Evans. In this movie, Evans then suddenly seems to "right" himself and get on the train with a happy ending because Wade, for some inexplicable reason, decides to help him. The acting of the 2 leads is top notch (esp Ford), but all else are left aside and not developed. The score and cinematography are superb. Overall an above average western, worthy of its status as a classic, but not the masterpiece I was hoping for.