3:10 To Yuma

It looks like the western is making a comeback this year. The first of two high-profile westerns (the second being next week's Assassination of Jesse James .... ) comes to us from James Mangold, who helmed Walk the Line. 3:10 To Yuma stars Russell Crowe as the outlaw Ben Wade. After robbing twenty-two stagecoaches, Wade is finally caught in a small town in northern Arizona. But Wade's gang will not let him be held for long. The lawmakers know this, so they hire as many hands to help out as they can. This group of gunslingers must escort Wade to the trainstation a few towns over, so that they can get him on the 3:10 to Yuma prison. This is where Dan Evans (Christian Bale) comes in. Evans and his boys come upon a coach that Wade has robbed. He lets them go, but Evans follows him into town. He then assists in the catching of Wade, and volunteers to help escort him. Why is he willing to do this? Money, maybe, but mostly to prove himself to his boys.
Films and novels are filled with stories of sons trying to gain the approval of their fathers, but Yuma flips that on its head. Evans' eldest son, William, thinks his father lacks courage. In fact, William idolizes outlaws like Wade. He believes that his father won't stand up to the bad guys. William buys into the myth of redemptive violence wholeheartedly. So Evans embarks upon this epic journey to gain the respect of his son, and to prove to himself he is a courageous man (his Civil War service plays into this theme as well). Is this a foolish thing Evans is jumping into, or is his son pushing him to be a better man? Who will his sons grow up to be? You will have to see the film to find out whether William ends up proud of his father.
Wade is a very likable theif/murderer. He is funny, charismatic, and rather charming. One scene in particular sticks out to me, when Wade is being hidden at the Evans household, and they share a meal as a pseudo-family. One of the Evans boys asks why they haven't said grace yet, and they proceed to say grace because, as the mother reminds them, "grace is for everyone," even killers.
So why are so many man willing to put their lives at risk to see this one man go to jail. Why didn't they just "accidentally" kill him on the way there. Granted, the gang would have exacted their revenge mightily, but they will still be angry if he goes to jail. It all seems rather pointless. Yet, sometimes we have to go to extreme ends to do what is right. True justice takes hard work, whereas vigilante justice is quick and easy. But that is what made the west so wild in the first place.
*spoiler alert* In the end, Evans inspires even Wade. His courage and strength cause Wade to look up to Evans and admire him. In a rather unbelievable turn of events (that actually works out in the end) Wade is willing to go with Evans on the last march to the train. True courage can inspire anyone.
3:10 To Yuma asks the question "What makes a man?" It also asks "To what length will you go to see that justice is served?" Mangold succeeds on every level, and makes a western truly deserving of the name.