3/4  3:10 to Yuma Quick Review
A solid western that is better than the remake. It doesn't try to go deep but still delivers great characters and solid acting. The plot is identical to the remake but yet the story is different. It's more authentic and true to the genre.

4/5 Great western
  by Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States)
Let me begin this review by stating that I have never seen the original 3:10 to Yuma, and that I am not a fan of Western movies. Having said that, I liked this movie, and thought it was one of the best movies of the year. Starring two great actors, and a host of smaller-name actors and actresses, this movie is part action, part drama, with a little bit of comedy and romance thrown in. The gun fight scenes are great, and very realistic. The storyline itself is very good with original characters. Even the stagecoach robbery scene was original. All in all, a great movie.

5/5 One Of The 2 Best Westerns I've Ever Seen
  by Stephen B. O'Blenis (Nova Scotia, Canada)
Definately one of the two best westerns I've ever seen - along with Dances with Wolves - and a movie that prompted me to start seeking out more from the genre, 3:10 To Yuma takes the rugged beauty of the American west and infuses it with a multi-layered story packed with riveting action, intense drama, and award-worthy performances.

Life on the frontier is difficult and sparse for the Evans family. The father, Dan (Christian Bale) is trying to hold things together on a family farm that's being squeezed out by a powerful land baron who's not only dammed the small river the farm depended on for irrigation, but started hiring local thugs to itimidate the Evans family and carry out acts of vandalism and arson - aimed not only at terrorizing the clan, but at making it impossible for Evans to make enough money to pay down his debt and keep the land from being seized. Dan Evans is basically alone against a very powerful group of ruthless enemies, unable to stand up to them without putting his family's life in jeopardy and with no one to call on for the support he'd need in order to fight back. His oldest son thinks him a coward for not doing more than he is, and Dan, full of self-doubt, is also worried that he's losing the respect of the rest of his family at the same time that he seems to be slowly losing their home and livlihood. On the exact opposite end of the spectrum we have outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), whose gang of stagecoach thieves has been terrorizing the region. When the law finally succeeds in apprehending Wade, Evans - by sheer chance - ends up playing a role in his capture. Wade still has to be taken across some distance of wild territory to Yuma, where he'll be put on a train and shipped back east to stand trial. Being part of the band that delivers Wade to Yuma isn't a job that has many people clamoring for the chance to climb onboard, as the rest of his gang is still on the loose and will undoubtedly attempt to rescue their leader and kill his captors. For $200 - enough to pay off what his land has owing on it, Evans agrees to take part in the escort.

A very character-driven movie, the two leads are both fascinating, and the hero-villain interplay between Christian Bale and Russel Crowe is among the best in moviedom. Bale's Evans character is willing to do almost anything, take on almost any danger, not just for the physical cash that'll enable him to keep the family farm going, but to prove to people - especially his oldest son, or, perhaps especially to himself - that he isn't a failure or a coward. After years of having no feasible chance of bettering his family's lot, he seizes at this one chance for redemption and doesn't let go, even when it begins to look even more suicidal than taking on the large crew of local thugs back home would have been. In an interesting twist, one of those very thugs is also among the small crew paid to escort Wade to Yuma. Also, unexpectedly, joining the party is Evans's oldest son, who follows along behind them and, by the time he's discovered, can't be sent back home for fear of sending him right into Wade's pursuing gang. Russel Crowe's character of Wade is harder to analyze in terms of motivation, but immensely fascinating in trying to. On the surface he seems to be an unmitigated killer with no values, rules, or code of honor, but as events play out it becomes clear that's not the whole story - it's just hard to tell what the whole story is. As the viewer tries to crack what exactly determines Wade's at-times contradictory actions and behavior, Wade himself seems intrigued by Evans's conduct, who's increasingly willing to go to extraordinary lengths but at the same time unwilling to cross certain moral lines for any reason. It's as if Wade has developed, in his own mind, a sense of what should and shouldn't be in the world, of right and wrong, but has long since decided that any such notions are irrelevant and inapplicable in the real world. But now he's observing somebody who seems to be making an attempt at actually putting such ideals into practice, despite the world's best efforts to show them as ultimately futile.

The dramatic and dangerous journey to Yuma culminates in an escalation of stakes and a tremendous showdown. Evans and Wade have both reached pivotal points, and their performers, Bale and Crowe, have both established their roles as the stuff of legend. All supporting performances are dead-on, and the overall production values exceptional. One of the best movies of 2007, and a must-see whether you're a longtime western fan or have previously seen few or any. 10/10

5/5 3;10 to yuma
  by Grant Logan (Victoria, British COLUMBIA, CANADA)
The movie showed up in very good time and the movie was excellant, thank you Grant

2/5 Do yourself a favor: Watch the original
  by Clay M. Capps (Baconton GA)
I usually do not review anything with so many reviews already (402 at this point); for one thing, I can't read the other views to make sure I don't simply repeat what another reviewer has written. But if I am this time, IT NEEDS REPEATING: DON'T REMAKE A CLASSIC AND MAKE AN INFERIOR VERSION! Yes, modern movies in vivid color and more imaginative camera angles, not to mention loads more pyrotechnics, make for more visually appealing experiences than old black and whites. In this case, however, those are ALL the movie has going for it. Older movies make up for the lack with complex and moving psychological impact. This one was complex, but hardly moving.

Enough venting, though. The bottom line is that this is a very dark and violent little thriller that is an okay way to spend a couple of hours, I guess, if you don't expect too much. That's why I gave it two stars. But it is a remake of an older movie that is perhaps second only to "High Noon" itself as one of the deepest of all Westerns (okay, so there's "The Searchers". And "Outlaw Josey Wales"...but you get my drift). The changed ending, the "wimpification" of the hero, all subtract significantly. And it would have been nice to have the slightest nod to the original movie's excellent theme song. Sure, I didn't expect Frankie Lane crooning as Crowe rode across the screen, but just a hint of the melody in an instrumental form would have been the least the film makers could have done to admit: Yes, this story wasn't ours, it has been done before. A sort of homage. Instead, it seems as if the soundtrack tries very hard to distance itself from the original.

Which, in retrospect, it perhaps should, because it just doesn't live up. Once again, if you like modern westerns, this one is fair to midlin'. But the title makes real fans of the genre expect a lot more. For those who gave this movie bad reviews, do yourself a GREAT favor: watch the original if you haven't already.

5/5 A great western
  by Adam Peace (Chino, CA)
I'm not into reviews that are as long as some short stories. so my reviews will be right to the point. No need for me to tell the whole plot to the movie, you can just read the description. This is a great western movie, with a great cast! A very good story line makes for an entertaining movie. There is a lot of action in this movie. If you are a fan of western gunfights then you will really like this move. There are quite a few really good shootouts that would make for some of the best in a western movie (only other shootout that might be better is from the movie Open Range). If you like westerns there is NO REASON you wont like this movie.