3:10 to Yuma

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Tim M One of the last classics of the Western genre's golden era, 3:10 to Yuma times its tension and gravitas to a tee. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/25 Full Review Matthew B A well-received movie since its first release, 3:10 to Yuma has perhaps suffered a little from its over-familiarity to lovers of westerns. Often repeated on television, it is easy to become blasé about the charms of Delmer Daves' 1957 western. The story concerns a struggling rancher called Dan Evans (played by van Heflin). Whatever his background, t this stage of his life, the older Evans is the man who stands by and watches. He watches a stagecoach hold-up in which the coach driver is shot, and his inactivity disappoints his two sons when he refuses to intervene to help. His wife too expresses her dissatisfaction with his inaction. "It seems terrible that something bad can happen and all anybody can do is stand by and watch". The coach driver was shot by Ben Wade (Glenn Ford), the leader of the outlaws. The robbery has turned into something more serious by the time that Dan Evans arrives in the town of Bisbee to report the incident. Wade is captured soon after, and the next question is how to hand him into custody. The Marshal wishes to take Wade to the appropriately named Contention City and put him on the train to Yuma, but he is unable to go himself. Despite the promise of payment from the stage-line owner, Mr Butterfield (Robert Emhardt), only two men volunteer for the perilous journey – the town drunk Alex Potter (Henry Jones) and the cash-strapped Evans. The rest of the movie follows the three captors, Evans, Butterfield and Potter, as they seek to get Wade onto the 3:10 to Yuma. The movie bears many comparisons to the more famous western, High Noon. Like High Noon, 3:10 to Yuma involves a tense countdown until the arrival of a train. Whereas the danger in High Noon is posed by the arrival of the leader of a band of outlaws who has been released from prison, the peril in 3:10 to Yuma lies in facing a band of outlaws who are trying to stop the hero from putting their leader onto a train so that he can be taken to prison. Additionally, the movie is not made in real time, and the countdown only occupies the second half of the movie. High Noon depicts a town in which the marshal spends much of the movie engaged in a futile search for help against the gang of outlaws who are due to arrive in town. The entire town refuses to help the marshal for a variety of selfish and cowardly motives. In 3:10 to Yuma, a similar situation unfolds. Here it is not a representative of the law who is asked to enforce justice, but a hired rancher. Evans too will find that as the clock ticks closer to 3:10, the help that he has been promised will vanish. The director Delmer Daves goes to great lengths to bring home to us the desperation of Evans' plight as a farmer during a drought. Daves chose to make the western in black-and-white, and he employs red filters on the camera lens to make the landscape look more parched. The effect is also enhanced by the long shots of the landscape. We can see the dry dust being kicked up from under the heels of horses. When Wade's men finally ride into Contention City, they pass a line of cacti in the desert. 3:10 to Yuma may have become a familiar western to many, but we should not overlook its merits. It provides the viewer with a jaundiced look at the effectiveness of justice when people are unwilling to do what is necessary, but it also asserts the value of standing up for what is right, even if you stand alone and face great danger. I wrote a longer appreciation of 3:10 to Yuma on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/310-to-yuma-1957/ Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review Red T It exceeded all my expectations. This is an underrated All Time Classic. The main strengths of the is film are its phenomenal cinematography, excellent music, and surprisingly strong suspense. The black and white works amazingly and the camerawork is phenomenal. Most of the second half takes place in a hotel but it adds to the suspense buildup. This is basically a thriller and a western merged together which I have only seen really with High Noon. Not much shooting happens in this and it all just builds tension and delivers extremely well with a tense and fun ending. The acting is really good also the only complaints I would say is Van & Ford give really strong performances but I wish Van had more charisma like a Henry Fonda and I wish Ford was more menacing rather than suave but both have really good chemistry. The supporting cast is excellent also. This is something everyone should give a try once. Definitely was a surprise how good this was. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/17/23 Full Review Donald S The characters in this movie especially Ben Wade were so compelling and interesting. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/10/23 Full Review Jelisije J A beautifully shot Western that deserves a lot of love and appreciation, but shockingly I prefer the 2007 remake of this film. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Christopher B A psychological Western that, once established, lays down a thick layer of suspense and not until the last frame does it ease up. The film has some solid performances from it's leads Heflin and Ford and a good supporting cast to go with the original story. I still think the remake edges this out, but it's a solid western that plays by its own rules. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/07/22 Full Review Read all reviews

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