The Los Angeles Times has an article today on the script for the forthcoming western remake, 3:10 to Yuma. I remember seeing this film as a child, watching it on TV with my father and how struck with it I was even then. I saw it again just about six months ago and it held up to my memory very well.
The original 3:10 to Yuma starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. Ford played a bad guy, real bad guy. He and his gang rob stage coaches and have a tendency to kill people in the process. Ford's Ben Wade is captured in a small town and rancher Dan Evans, Van Heflin, is persuaded to take Wade in secret to the nearest town with a railway station to await the 3:10 train to the court at Yuma. Ford's gang is out to free their leader and all Heflin has to do is keep a hold of Ford until the train arrives.
This is a unique twist on the classic "ticking clock" device that is used in most films to generate suspence. Usually a ticking clock is something to avoid. One classic example of a ticking clock is a bomb with the bright red LED displays that countdown to detonation. The protagonist has to disarm the bomb or leave the area before the LED gets down to 0:00. Another example would be the mad rush in Back to the Future to get everything set up before the lightning strike the town watchtower with enough energy to send Marty McFly back to the future. In 3:10 to Yuma, you want the clock to keep ticking, you want it to get to 3:10 because with 3:10 comes safety.
3:10 to Yuma was based on the novel of the same name by the great Elmore Leonard, and I am not the only one who appreciated it, as the remake opening in two weeks clearly shows. Ford's Ben Wade will be played by Russell Crowe and Heflin's Dan Evans is being created by Christian Bale. I can't wait to see what they do with this cool little story.
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