Following up his critically acclaimed hit
WALK THE LINE, James Mangold breathes fresh life into the
quintessential American genre, the western, with 3:10 TO
YUMA. An update of the 1957 western based on a story by
Elmore Leonard, 3:10 TO YUMA pairs two of today's finest
actors, Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe and Christian
Bale, as an infamous outlaw and the struggling rancher who
volunteers to deliver him to justice. A stark parable of
good and evil, the film offers a bracingly gritty depiction
of life in the mythic Old West, plunging us into a landscape
of hastily constructed towns and mean self-interest at the
dawning of the transcontinental railroad. 3:10 TO YUMA
begins at a gallop and barely lets up, as Mangold combines
intense physical action with sharply honed character drama
to deliver a supremely satisfying, thoroughly modern
entertainment.
Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is an honest man who has spent
his life abiding by the rules, and has precious little to
show for it. A former Union Army sharpshooter, Dan emerged
from the Civil War with a hobbled leg and a small
compensation that allowed him to move his wife Alice
(Gretchen Mol) and two sons to a modest ranch in the Arizona
territory. But hopes of a new beginning have faded amidst
the harsh conditions and rampant corruption of the West. An
ongoing drought has rendered Dan's land barren, decimating
his herd, driving him deeper into debt and leaving his
family on the brink of starvation. Meanwhile, the ranch's
deed-holder, recognizing an opportunity in the coming
railroad, brazenly attempts to drive the Evanses off their
property. With time running out, Dan stoically works his
land, hoping his luck changes, refusing to descend to the
level of his tormentors. But he is painfully aware that he
is losing the respect of his oldest son, Will (Logan Lerman),
a 14-year-old who thrills to the adventures of the bandits
and villains lionized in dime novels of the Wild West. Will
increasingly views his father with disdain; even Alice Evans
has begun to question her husband’s resolve.
Then fortune throws Dan a bone with the capture the
notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), whose violent
hold-ups and roguish persona are the stuff of legend. A
brilliant strategist and natural leader, Wade commands
undying loyalty among his men, particularly his
second-in-command, the ruthless Charlie Prince (Ben Foster).
Together, Wade and his gang have run roughshod over the
Southern Pacific Railroad, making off with enormous sums and
killing more than a few men over the course of several dozen
robberies.
Arresting Wade is but the first step in bringing him to
justice, and certainly the easiest. From the moment he is
taken into custody in the town of Bisbee, those guarding him
are vulnerable to attack from Wade’s gang. Southern Pacific
Railroad representative Grayson Butterfield (Dallas Roberts)
seeks paid volunteers to join the posse that will take Wade
to the town of Contention, a three-day journey. In
Contention, Wade will be loaded onto a train equipped with a
prison car and bound for Yuma, Arizona where there is a
Federal Court.
Seizing the opportunity to save his ranch and his family,
Dan hires himself out to the posse. Leading the expedition
is veteran bounty hunter Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), a
deadly God fearing mercenary with a burning hatred of Wade.
The group also includes Tucker (Kevin Durand), a local thug;
and Doc Potter (Alan Tudyk), a gentle veterinarian with
little taste for violence.
But even a shackled Ben Wade is a lethal threat. Beneath the
charming, attractive exterior lies an incisive student of
human nature who can exploit the slightest glimmer of human
weakness to his advantage. When Wade sees an opportunity --
be it to escape or to avenge -- he acts.
During the perilous three-day journey to Contention, the
posse will gain an uninvited member and men, both good and
bad, will fall. As their number dwindles, Dan Evans
rediscovers the strengths he thought he'd lost as he fights
to complete the mission. And as the clock ticks down, these
two men from opposite ends of the moral spectrum take one
another's measure and find an unexpected kinship.
By the time the train whistle sounds in its approach to
Contention, Dan Evans' last-ditch attempt to save his ranch
has become something deeper and more profound: the chance to
redeem himself, in his family's eyes and his own. A chance
to teach to his son what it is to be a man.
©
Lionsgate. All
rights reserved
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