Pretty Good

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

3:10 to Yuma (1957) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Tense and extremely well-acted Western about a farmer (Van Heflin) who finds himself in desperate need of cash so he volunteers to transport a notorious criminal (Glenn Ford) to a train station. 3:10 TO YUMA is one of the best known Westerns from this era and it's easy to see why. Sure, there are those old-school moments about the good guy versus the bad one but it has an added touch of psychological drama and this here is where the film really stands on its own. There's no doubt that there are many great scenes in the picture but things really start to pick up when Heflin and Ford are inside a hotel room where they do nothing but talk about what's going to happen when the farmer goes to transport him to the station. This is when the super editing kicks into high gear as the farmer slowly starts to become panicked over what he's gotten himself into. There are some really striking scenes in this picture including a very dramatic one dealing with the fate of one of the helpers, which I won't ruin here. Another great scene happens early on during a stagecoach robbery where we get to see how menacing the Ford character can be. This here is followed up with a scene where Ford comes onto a local woman. You'd think a scene like this would be out of place but it actually works just to show that this villain also has a charming side. The performances by the two leads are certainly wonderful. Heflin has never been better as the good-hearted farmer who needs to prove to himself that he can support his family no matter what it takes. The scenes where the farmer's tension starts to crack has the actor really shining. Ford, usually a good guy, does wonders being able to switch things up and that wonderful voice of his really adds to the psychological drama as he starts to torture the farmer. The film certainly borrows from HIGH NOON but that doesn't hurt things too much. The film is certainly a gem from the genre.

It's late 19th century in the dusty Arizona Territory. Struggling rancher Dan Evans (Van Heflin) and his sons encounter Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) and his gang in a stagecoach holdup. Dan refuses to intervene. Later, Ben is captured. Desperate for money, Dan takes the job to guard the criminal destined for the the 3:10 train to Yuma.This is one of the first based on a Elmore Leonard short story. I watched the 2007 remake first. I found it gritty, morally murky, and quite frankly confused without the black and white characters. After watching the 1957 original, I can appreciate more of what the filmmakers are trying to do. I especially like the kid nagging at his father, almost taunting him as a coward. Dan's motivation is varied and complicated. In a sense, he's very human. Glenn Ford is brilliant playing against type as a villain. His motivation is also complicated. He seems like a mannered honorable man one minute and a cold-hearted killer the next. The ending is a little bit too happy ending which seemed ill fitting. Other than that, there is a lot to recommend in this movie.

Everything about this film is great. One of maybe half a dozen great westerns. Delmer Daves direction and Charles Lawton Jr.'s cinematography bring a perfect screenplay to life. My favorite part might be the interlude with Ben Wade (Glenn Ford at his best)and Emmy (Felicia Farr) in the saloon. Their chemistry is perfect. Then there is beautiful long shot of Emmy standing looking forlorn in the middle of the empty dusty street watching the stage coach taking Wade away. In the distance behind her and off to the left, Mr. Butterfield watches. Later there is a nice contrasting scene involving Dan Evens (Van Heflin) wife. A pleasure to watch solid straight forward film making.

The film is almost like another Gary Cooper's "High Noon." While just about everyone has abandoned him, farmer Van Heflin seeks to deliver Glenn Ford to the train so that he can be prosecuted for the killing he committed.I wondered what this film would have been like had Ford and Heflin reversed roles. Both were such good character actors, that they would have easily been able to portray the other's part.This is a film dealing with high ethical standards, a farmer and his family enduring a drought, and even the villain coming to his senses in the end. Apparently, he was impressed with the Heflin character.