Sunday, September 16, 2007

3:10 To Yuma

*Loved* it. What a great, great script (by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas, based on the 1957 script and the Elmore Leonard short story). They could teach that script (and I imagine someone will). A script like that could be about basket-weaving and I'd still love it.

Bale and Crowe were brilliant. Two of our finest actors on top of their game. Their twist on the traditional hero/heavy relationship is complex and compelling. The plot point 2 turning point, where Wade gets the upper hand on Evans, and is choking him only to capitulate entirely, and then *help* Evans get him to the train, was a thing of beauty. A complete 180 for Wade, but it's made absolutely inevitable by the script.

The boy, William, played Bobby on Jack & Bobby... He's grown some, huh? And he was very good.

Ben Foster (Claire's gay boyfriend Russel in the third season of Six Feet Under, and Angel in X-Men 3) was a little much -- but "a little much" was appropriate to the part. (He goes a bit overboard with the method animal stuff--Yes, we get it. You're a lion.) He clearly was in love with Wade--flashing jealousy when Wade chose to dally with the whore instead of escaping across the border with the gang.

I might just go see this again.

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