3:10 TO YUMA (2007)

Russell Crowe has just made the ultimate villainous turn, stopping just short of Hitler himself, playing the dictator’s chunky right-hand man, Herman Goering, in the new release courtroom drama, Nuremberg. However, he’s been the bad guy before, such as a West Melbourne skinhead in Romper Stomper and the somewhat ambiguous outlaw leader in James Mangold’s dynamite remake of 3:10 to Yuma – which has recently come to 4K in Australia thanks to Via Vision Entertainment.

An impoverished rancher, Dan Evans (Christian Bale), volunteers to help escort the notoriously wanted Ben Wade, to the 3:10 train to Yuma to face the hangman’s rope, but Wade’s gang are in pursuit, leaving carnage in their wake.

At its centre, 3:10 to Yuma examines the fleeting days of the Old West as a post-Civil War America emerges, expanding the great frontiers in the name of progress, in addition to the misplaced admiration towards criminals who live by their own terms. Evans is an honest family man who suffers indignity from having been partially crippled during the war and constantly struggles to provide due to drought and the greed of his landlord. He has lost the respect of his eldest son, William, who views his father as a failure, but sees a more capable man in Wade. As both men travel together, their evolution as characters is fundamental to the engaging plot that unfolds from what is basically a point A to point B premise, and both Crowe and Bale have solid chemistry as two sides of the same coin.

The real villain of the piece is, without a question, Wade’s number two, Charlie Prince, played by an intense Ben Foster, who low-key provides some Schofield revolver-core for gun enthusiasts. In a smaller antagonising role is Kevin Durand as Tucker, accompanying our heroes on their journey. He looks a little too much like Elon Musk for my liking, but plays “despicable” to a tee.

As an action film, there’s a modern flair that’s been well adapted to the classic tropes found in the western genre, such as a stagecoach robbery and the climactic town shootout. There’s also such detail and authenticity to the overall production that viewers are placed firmly in the “Old West”. It makes me want to reinstall Red Dead Redemption 2, just walk around aimlessly and take in the desert scenery.

SPECIAL FEATURES

DISC ONE: 4K UHD

Audio commentary by director James Mangold
3:10 to Score – featurette
Sea to Shining Sea – documentary
A Conversation with Elmore Leonard – featurette
The Guns of Yuma – featurette
Historical Timeline of the West
Inside Yuma
Destination Yuma – documentary
An Epic Explored – featurette
Outlaws, Gangs, and Posses – featurette
Deleted Scenes

DISC TWO: BD

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
Audio commentary by director James Mangold
3:10 to Score – featurette
Sea to Shining Sea – documentary
A Conversation with Elmore Leonard – featurette
The Guns of Yuma – featurette
Historical Timeline of the West
Inside Yuma
Destination Yuma – documentary
An Epic Explored – featurette
Outlaws, Gangs, and Posses – featurette
Deleted Scenes
Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
Audio: English LPCM 7.1 Surround + Dolby Digital 2.0
Optional English HOH Subtitles

This disc’s featurettes come ported all the way back from its first DVD/BD release in 2007. Thankfully, most of the supplements are in HD and look great, especially those that are shot on the film’s location in the “old west”. While the first few features include on-set interviews with the movie’s cast and crew, the bulk are comprised of mini-documentaries which give background context to 3:10’s… setting. – by Hannah Lynch

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Ten years after its theatrical release, 3:10 to Yuma hopped aboard the 4K express in 2017, which Via Vision have ported over. The age of this Ultra HD transfer is noticeable, but thankfully, dusty westerns always present well, and in the appropriate aspect ratio of 2.40:1, it’s of no detriment to one’s enjoyment.

Interestingly, the menu singles out the Dolby Digital 2.0 for “those who prefer louder dialogues”, which I’ve never encountered before, but if you want the full experience with gunshots that’ll split your eardrums, then it’s DTS X all the way. English HOH subtitles are included.

3:10 to Yuma is not only a reliable train service (those were the days), but it’s the type of western you can return to repeatedly. Despite a couple of brief moments of wonky CGI, it mostly feels like a classic from the early 70s with that signature grit, violence, and a not-so-happy ending.

3:10 TO YUMA
(2007, director: James Mangold)