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 Although it didn't receive any major awards, 3:10 To Yuma (1957) is considered on e of the best westerns of the 1950s. Glenn Ford starred as the self-assured villain Ben Wade and Van Heflin as the honorable and downtrodden Dan Evans who must escort Wade to the train to prison. The opening song, "3:10 to Yuma" by Ned Washington and George Duning and sung by full-of voice - Frankie Lane, talks about fate that awaits everyone involved.
Robert Emhardt
Ben Wade and his gang of thieves are anxiously awaiting the railroad's stagecoach to rob it of its gold. They take rancher Dan Evans' cattle to block the passage of the coach. When Wade's gang surrounds the coach, railroad line owner, Mr. Butterfield (Robert Emhardt), warns Wade if he hurts any of his men, he'll be sorry. Wade is not intimidated. In fact when one of the coach guards grabs one of Wade's men and threatens to kill him, Wade immediately sets the tone of what kind of desperado he is; he shoots his own man first and then the guard.
Richard Jaeckel
When Dan Evans and his two boys (Barry Curtis, Jerry Hartleben) approach the scene looking for their cattle, Wade's right-hand-man Charlie Prince (Richard Jaeckel) stops them. Dan realizes what's going on and demands his cattle back. Wade says he'll get them back in five minutes. But as his boys watch the killing and robbery, their father's reluctance to get involved diminishes his nerve in their eyes.
Leora Dana
As Dan and the boys return their cattle to their ranch, the home scene with wife Alice (Leora Dana) furthers the image of Dan as incompetent when she asks what he did and he replies, "Nothing, we just stood by and watched. Did you want us to get killed?"
He talks about the drought killing the cattle, the ranch ready to be foreclosed on and paints a picture of an oppressed and desperate man who feels unworthy of his family. When Dan heads to town he finds Wade romancing saloon keeper Emma (Felicia Farr).
Felicia Farr
Dan demands money for his wasted time, which Wade pays, plus money for his boys. Dan even has the gall to ask for, "Two dollars extra for making me nervous," then he smiles a nervous lopsided grin. At that point the Marshall (Ford Rainey) captures Wade and figures out a plan to take him to the 3:10 train in Contenion heading to the Yuma prison. Butterfield offers Dan $200 if he'll ride with them. He agrees, and joins the town drunk Alex Potter (Henry Jones) and couple of other misfits.
Henry Jones & Ford Rainey
The plan is to transfer Wade at Dan's house and make a switch in the wagon to throw off Wade's gang. In a homelike setting with Wade eating at the family table, Alice is at first annoyed but then beguiled by Wade's charisma. Dan gets jealous that Alice is listening to Wade all "big-eyed."
The next day the men are on their way, but of course Wade's gang is right behind them. In one incident after another the men realize they are no match for Wade's men. Especially the unshakable, emotionless Charlie Prince, who seems to have cut his baby teeth on the barrel of a gun.
Ben Wade is an enigma. He robs a coach then worries about the coach's men left behind not having any horses. The witty dialogue by screenwriter Halsted Welles helps illustrate Wade's personality throughout the movie. When Wade shoots the guard of the coach, he orders Butterfield to take him to his hometown to be buried. "Where a man lives that's where he should be buried."
During the run for the train, Dan and Wade share many interesting moments.. The dichotomy of Wade's personality constantly marks the journey, and at some point Wade seems to help Dan in his endeavor.
The major scene unfolds in the bridal sweet of a hotel in Contention. Wade baits Dan to see how much nerve he really has, especially when Dan warns him if he moves across the room, he'll unload both barrels of his gun. Ford is gentle as baby when he bounces on the bed, smiling and says, "Bridal suite; I wonder how many brides have slept here." It's all a rouse by a conniving cat, as he asks Dan to open the window for some air and then charges him to get the gun.
"I had to try you out; I didn't think you'd shoot," says Wade.
"You know I will next time," replies Dan.
Wade says, "Do I?" which emphasizes once again that Dan may have bit off more than he can chew. Wade offers Dan more money than the $200 he's getting, "I like to do things easy, peaceful," he says.
Dan refuses, knowing there's more than money at stake. Wade continues to play a psychological game with Dan upping the price to $10,000. Dan gets nervous thinking what that kind of money would mean to him, but still refuses.
Other law men show up to help, and one of them tries to kill Wade. Dan stops him, furthering the bond between him and Wade. When Wade's men are soon all around and bullets are flying, the other law men bail, as does Butterfield, who tells Dan to let Wade go. He refuses.
The last moments of the film are the best as the ticking clock escalates. When Alice shows up begging Dan to let Wade go, it's the climax scene of the movie. Van Heflin's face and demeanor say it all. Dan is filled with love, concern and assurance he's doing the right thing. There's a single shot of Ford's face, enough to see the admiration in his eyes of Dan and the slight curiosity he must be thinking of what it would have been like to have Dan's life and a woman like Alice.
Dan insists he must go through with the mission, "The town drunk gave his life because he believes that people should be able to live in decency and peace together; you think I can do less?"
Glenn Ford & Van Heflin
At that point Wade understands totally the sacrifice Dan is making. As he and Dan have the final face off at the station, Wade's actions are a complete surprise.
3:10 To Yuma, based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, is more of a character film and than an action movie and is very entertaining.
The movie was impressively remade in 2007 and starred Russell Crowe as Wade, Christian Bale as Dan and Ben Foster as Charlie.
Director: Delmer Daves
Writer: Halsted Welles from a story by Elmore Leonard
Cast: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Richard Jaeckel, Felicia Farr,
Robert Emhardt, Leora Dana, Henry Jones
Rating: Not Rated, suitable for 10 and above
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Run Time: 92 minutes
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Format: Black & White, widescreen
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