Original: 3:10 to Yuma (1957)

3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Director: Delmer Daves
Writer: Elmore Leonard (story) and Halsted Welles (screenplay)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Thriller/Western

Story

Dan Evans (Van Heflin) is a simple farmer trying to make a living in the dry desert, but he can’t seem to catch a break or afford enough water to get his cattle to really do well. Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) is the leader of a group of bandits that robs stagecoaches. When Ben Wade and his group rob a banker and his stagecoach near Dan Evans farm, Dan has to get involved. Ben Wade gets caught and they are going to take him to the 3:10 train to Yuma (hints the title) and no one wants to get involved because of the danger. Dan Evans volunteers in a desperate attempt to get enough money to save his farm. Now Evans has to get Wade safely to the train through all of the other bandits.


Everything Else

The directing of this original version of 3:10 to Yuma was very solid. There is little to complain about as far as the flow of the film and the character interactions. The acting was also top notch from Glenn Ford as Ben Wade and Van Heflin as Dan Evans.


The story, although very good, seemed a little less exciting after watching the remake. In this respect at least I found that 3:10 to Yuma (1957) was lacking. The story makes sense and everything plays out well, but there were not the twists or very many moments of tension, which the remake provided.


The shiny black and white picture in this film adds to it rather than taking away. The image quality is crisp and clean making it look very good throughout. The camera angles and direction only add to the film by giving some good clean shots. The only complaint is the odd scenes at the end when Evans is trying to get Wade to the train. The bandits seem to have clear and easy shots, but they are not really making much effort to get the job done. Possibly if this were shot differently it would have made more sense.


The Real Deal

I liked 3:10 to Yuma (1957), but after seeing the remake with its new twists and turns, the original seemed a little dry. One place the original excels at though is the soundtrack. I loved the opening music. This was actually one of the most exciting parts of the film for me. I would have liked for there to have been a little more action at the end and a few more twists possibly. It almost seemed too straight forward, but I guess that is how it used to be and it just doesn’t really fly anymore. If you are going to watch this one, make sure you watch it before the remake; I know I would have liked it better if I had. Nevertheless, it is a well-made movie that is worth the watch.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 745,923
Sharon Movie? No

Dave's Movie Reviews is the place to find movie

reviews and discuss your thoughts.
Join the community by
Subscribing!

RSS feed or Email