3.10 to Yuma

I went to see 3.10 to Yuma the other day at my local cinema. I remember seeing the original many years ago on television, so long ago I think it was in black and white. I had a quick look at the trusty IMDB which confirmed that it was released in 1957 and starred Van Heflin and Gleen Ford, in the parts played in the new version by Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.

I like these these two actors very much, though Crowe's career has been marred lately by poor career choices, while Bale, on the other hand, hasn't, as far as I'm aware, made a single bad decision, ever. I can't thinkof any off-hand anyway. He has the knack of submerging himself in whatever part he's playing, the definition of the character actor, whereas Crowe tends to be Crowe whoever he's playing. This wasn't always the case, however, as demonstrated by his performance in The Insider, and I think it's simply because he's become so famous that his personality has come to dominate.
Bale however, has no public persona whatever, so has retained an anonimity which means he becomes his character more effectively. I'm always impressed by the level of fierce commitment he always brings to his performances and this was no exception
Here, though, Crowe managed to let his larger-than-life star persona slide into the background and allowed the character of Wade, the outlaw to shine through. I've just been looking at some of the reviews of the film, and my favourite critic, Roger Ebert, perceptively observed that Crowe's portrayal suggested an intelligent man who has become bored with being an outlaw, bored by the expectations place on him by others, a man fascinated by the varieties of human nature.
Several of the reviews have expressed dissatisfaction with the ending, and I have to agree. It lacked clarity and consistency and, by killing off Evans (Bale), its moral compass came askew, and it's an unsatisfactory mess. Obviously complexity, post-Unforgiven, is essential in westerns nowadays, but we were left with confusion rather than ambiguity. My response was 'What just happened....???'
Philip French in the Observer points to the huge influence of Deadwood, the western series set in a frontier town just at the point at which the West was beginning to be colonised by white settlers. Deadwood is far too black and scabrous to be shown on terrestrial TV, unfortunately, but, with its baroque language and lack of moral absolutes, astonishing period detail, it's an extraordinary evocation of the West that is surely much closer to its reality. I don't have Sky One any more since Virgin Media ditched it but I intend to catch up and rent the DVDs, switching on the subtitles to experience the dialogue in all its glory.
I have to confess that I didn't recognise Peter Fonda as the bounty-hunter McElroy, and that's maybe a tribute to him. Anyway, his presence was another major plus, as was Ben Foster's as Wade's brutal sidekick, a closet gay clearly in love with his leader. Philp French descibes his performance as 'terrifying' and I have to agree - truly demented.
So, a handsome production, enjoyable, entertaining and compelling. I'd like to see it again, though - that ending! Bleahhhhhh