The 3:10 to Yuma made in 1957 tells the same story as the one made in 2007, but the revisionism in the newer version makes the two movies very different. Not only do the special effects in the new movie make a difference, but the characters also display certain differences in the revisionist western.
The alpha male cowboy, Dan Evans, is essentially the same person in both versions of 3:10 to Yuma. However, the Dan Evans played by Christian Bale in 2007 seems to be more violent and emotional. Not only that, but Dan also has a sort of sidekick in the second version, who is his son. His son also serves as another motivation for Dan to go through with his plans and take Wade, the villain, to the 3:10 train to Yuma. This revisionist western really brings about the whole idea of the alpha male character not being a perfect hero. We see him as a desperate man, who wants to do something that his son can be proud of and who is in need of money to support his family. He is even more violent in the 2007 version. We can see all of the violence in the end, when he kills and wounds many of Wade’s men. In both movies, we see Dan Evans as the alpha male cowboy but in the second version, Evans seems to be a more exposed to the audience and we see the real reason as to why he feels like it is his obligation to get Wade to that train.
Violence is a major player in the 2007 version of 3:10 to Yuma. We see a lot more killing and blood in the newer version. Part of the reason for this is because the revisionist western was supposed to expose the West for how it actually was. And it was a very violent place. We see that clearly at the very beginning when Wade’s men hold up the stagecoach and at the very end when Wade kills the rest of his own gang. Violence and dangers of the West are taken into the next level with the revisionist western. However, to me it also seems more realistic and it is definitely more engaging.
We see these differences in the two versions of the westerns because there is a difference in American society as well. We see a boy come into the 2007 version, which really makes us think about who the filmmakers were trying to appeal to. In the 21st century, teenagers have been trying to get more involved in society and be their own person. Also the violence is prevalent in the newer version, because with the new century also came more technology that really made the world a more violent place to live in. America still had its share of violence when the movie came out. In 2007, America was still patching up the wounds from September 11th- which was a very violent attack- and was in a war in the Middle East. All of the violence in America can be displayed in the western.
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