3:10 to Yuma

Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma

Year of Release: 1957
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Delmer Daves
Cast: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr

Plot outline: When the outlaw leader Ben Wade is captured, the sheriff must run the gauntlet to get him out of town (IMDb).

3:10 to Yuma follows substantially the same route as that memorable Western High Noon (in High Noon, the menace was coming out of prison; in this movie, he is going in), and it reaches its terminal situation in a remarkably similar way. Despite the similarity, 3:10 to Yuma is a good Western movie, loaded with suspenseful situations and dusty atmosphere. The opening scene of a stage-coach holdup is crisply and ruggedly staged, and all the incidents of lawmen versus bandits are developed nicely from there. The whole thing is neatly acted. Van Heflin as the hero sweats and strains and brings himself up to the crisis like a man truly frightened and torn. Glenn Ford is insultingly casual as the bandit leader who trades on his charm. Richard Jaeckel is harsh as his top henchman, and Henry Jones is droll and deft as a brave drunk. Another good performance is turned in by Robert Emhardt as the proprietor of the stage line who is brave up to a point and then goes cold. As the inevitable females, Leora Dana is austere as the hero's wife, and Felicia Farr is amusingly off-beat and even poignant as a passing saloon girl. (NYT)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars