When I first started to get into westerns 3:10 to Yuma was the first modern one that caught my eye. I think it had something to do with being enamored with Christian Bale at the time. The fact that it was a James Mangold definitely helped too. I went and seen it the day it opened in theaters and loved it. I went out and tracked down the Elmore Leonard short story and the original film. When I found out earlier this year that it was getting a 4K release I was thrilled.
Bale stars as Dan Evans, a small-time rancher that is struggling to get by due to a drought. After failing to pay back money he owes to a man named Glen Hollander (Lennie Loftin), Hollander sends two of his men over to set fire to Dan’s ranch. As you can imagine this fire makes Dan’s financial situation even worse. As if that’s not bad enough the very next day he runs into Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), a notorious outlaw that happens to be using Dan’s cattle to block a road to allow Ben’s team to an armored stagecoach. The cattle helps and Ben and his gang rob the stagecoach and take off with the cash.
Later Dan heads to Bisbee to try and plea with Hollander and he actually ends up running into Ben. Dan ends up trying to convince Ben to give him some money for the trouble he caused and as a result he helps some railroad men ambush and arrest Ben. With Ben now in custody someone needs to make sure he makes it to the Yuma Territorial Prison. With a reward of $200 offered Dan readily agrees and heads out with Ben. The goal is to get him to Contention where Ben can then be placed on the 3:10 train heading to Yuma, hence the title.
3:10 to Yuma is sort of like Rio Bravo on the road. The plan seems fairly simple. How hard could it be to take a handcuffed prisoner to a train station? Turns out pretty difficult when that prisoner is a deadly outlaw with a ton of friends. As they make their journey to Contention that have to be weary of not only Ben’s gang but Native Americans. It’s a hard journey.
One thing I really love about westerns is how the hero and villain often develop a strong respect for one another. That’s clearly the case here. As dangerous as Ben is and as much as he doesn’t want to go to jail, he doesn’t want to hurt Dan. He respects Dan because Dan is a hardworking man that just wants to protect and provide for his family. Along the way Dan develops a respect for Ben. It leads to a fantastic finale that wouldn’t work in any other genre but in a western it all makes sense. The decisions these men play in the film’s final moment are very fitting for the genre.
The fact that I love this film is no surprise, I said that up top. But what do I think of this new 4K version? In one word, awesome. The presentation looks gorgeous. This new release brings a 2160p transfer to the table that just looks killer. Phedon Papamichael’s world-class cinematography has never looked better. There’s more detail present in the little things like the characters faces and in the buildings and stagecoaches. The darker scenes especially seem to benefit from 4K with more definition and clarity present in the shadows. Watching movies at home in 4K is still a fairly new experience for me and I only have a few titles, but 3:10 to Yuma might be my favorite one so far. Maybe it’s my affinity for desert landscapes but I was absolutely mesmerized while watching this new version.
The audio is also incredible. When reviewing Blu-rays I never really consider the audio too much. Of course I want to make sure I can hear it, but I don’t really pay attention to much beyond that. Getting into 4K I certainly didn’t anticipate they’re being much of a change with the audio, but 3:10 to Yuma showed me otherwise. It could have something to do with the old west but the sound design is wonderful and on this release the sounds of the old west can be heard bouncing around with absolute clarity. Plus there’s a great score from Marco Beltrami that sounds just as wonderful as the rest of the film.
As far as special features everything here is an import from the regular Blu-ray. So if you were expected something new that’s not here, but there’s still a lot. There’s a commentary with Mangold, a making-of and then a slew of other interesting and informative featurettes. My personal favorite of the bunch is one called the Historical Timeline of the West because I’m from the west. So I’m biased, so what?
3:10 to Yuma is one of the best westerns of the 21st century. If you haven’t seen it, you should rectify that and what better way to do so than with this brand-new stunning 4K Blu-ray?
3:10 to Yuma is now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray from Lionsgate Films.
