Like High Noon by Fred Zinnemann, Shane by George Stevens and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by John Ford, 3:10 to Yuma by director Delmer Daves is a choice story of a man who was to face the bad guys without help from the fearful townsfolk. The star here is Glenn Ford, this time in a rare role as a murderous villain. Ben Wade needs to be put onto the train at 3:10 to Yuma and on to prison, from under the noses of a gang who tries to rescue him.
Farmer Dan Evans becomes the reluctant hero of this dangerous escort mission. And indeed the film belongs to the actor Van Heflin. With his Oscar for best supporting role from the previous decade, the man holds his own alongside Glenn Ford’s charisma. Heflin sketched out a flesh-and-blood portrait of an honest man, as the family man’s duties end up in conflict with what is morally demanded.
Along with Broken Arrow, 3:10 to Yuma is the best Western that Daves made, and it belongs among the top-10 of American Westerns of the 1950s. James Mangold directed a respectable remake with ussell Crowe and Christian Bale in 2007, but it can’t compare with the original. (Hannu Björkbacka)
Language: English, subtitles: Finnish