3:10 To Yuma

Referring back to my review of 'Ratatouille', I mentioned cowboys as one of those undeniably awesome things which make something amazing. No doubt all that rootin'in' and tootin'in' has gotten me desperate for some wild western action, and while 'Toy Story' is all fine and well, I'd be much more intrigued by something a bit more sophisticated.

'3:10 To Yuma' is exactly what I needed. Forget the fact that there are cowboys in it. This film has such an epic storyline, excellent fight scenes and character development. As in proper character development. It's not like when Nemo's like "I don't hate you dad" or when Hercules wants to stay with Megara all of a sudden. Those happen too quickly to be notable. In '3:10 To Yuma' you can literally see the characters developing every inch between when the film starts and ends.

The most obvious example is the film's main antagonist, Ben Wade. His changed are very blatant, although I won't spoil it. Dan Evans and his son also experience dramatic changes, the latter changing from a stuck-up git to somebody a bit more likable. This impressive character development compliments the excellent storyline. Outlaw Ben Wade manages to get himself captured where he is sentenced to a public hanging, and is accompanied by poverty-strucken rancher Dan Evans and various other associates as he is escorted to the 3:10 train to Yuma.

Tailing Ben Wade's captors are his band of the most rootin'est, tootin'est cowboys in the wild west (excluding Woody). The fierce pursuit multiplies the initial outstanding danger tenfold and certainly increased my overall impressions of the film. As far as cowboy films go, '3:10 To Yuma' is a stunner, not only in the aforementioned storyline and character development, but also in the action. Being a film which is very cruel to its protagonists (arguably, though, it values its antagonists, although this is really just to make one of the best endings ever made), you never know what is going to happen when somebody has immediate access to a gun.

Sadly, '3:10 To Yuma' suffers scenes which one might dub 'tedious'. These sections are few and far between, but they are there, they are annoying and they are problematic. Thanks to a few slip-ups, I see it impossible to award '3:10 To Yuma' anything beyond four stars, something I can only apologise for, as in its own right, '3:10 To Yuma' has enough positive aspects to rival these negatives, just not enough to overshadow...

Four Out Of Five.