I went to see 3:10 to Yuma. My nephew at Reelz Channel raved about it comparing it to Unforgiven and Pale Rider.

I went with my bride who was really indulging me because she really hates westerns. Much of the dialogue was cliche (“I ain’t gonna leave you pah!”) and a lot of the scenes were unlikely. A Civil War Veteran with one leg running on the roof tops with barely a limp, and the murderous but artistically talented bandit who intentionally leaves one Pinkerton alive, befriends the one man committed to sending him to prison and at the end murders all of his own comrades who have hard ridden 80 miles to save him and then voluntarily boards the train to the Yuma Prison. Maybe that is what makes the story interesting but I find it hard to swallow.

If I haven’t killed it for you I would still recommend the movie. It’s good, but it’s no Unforgiven. It is a remake of an old movie with the same name starring Glenn Ford.

Modern westerns are often themed around blurred lines between good and evil. In Unforgiven Muny is a retired murderous assasin who takes a job to bring justice to a man who assaulted a local whore. The local lawman, Gene Hackman, maintains law and order through brutality. In 3:10 to Yuma the Pinkerton has murdered Indian children while the bandit, Russell Crowe, shows understanding for the unfortunate. Still he murders for money.

While good and evil may share some grey space much of what we face is black and white. Often such distinctions only seem clear in retrospect.

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