3:10 to Yuma CS

The two versions of 3:10 to Yuma are very similar in the ways in which they both follow the same story lone and have much of the same dialogue, but the updated 2007 version has a much more revisionist point of view. In both films, Dan Evans originally agrees to the task of taking outlaw Ben Wade to the railroad station because of the financial compensation. In the 1957 version Evans continues to complete his task after he is told he can leave because he feels a necessary duty to do so. But in the new version, he refuses to give up because he wants to show his son he can be a hero and not just a rancher. The father-son dynamic seen in the 2007 version is not seen in the older one, which focuses more on Evans’ relationship with his wife. The updated Evans shows much more weakness as a result of his desperate attempts to succeed for his family and his injured leg.

The revisionist version of the film is also much more violent, shown in the opening scene when stagecoach is attacked, the camping scene and especially the final gunfight. Dan Evans played by Christian Bale is shot and killed in front of his son, whereas in the old version Evans lives and is able to safely wave to his wife from the train car. Ben Wade is more dark and cynical in the new version. He turns his back on his posse and kills the majority of them in the end, and also murders a man when the others are sleeping. After attacking the stagecoach, the only violence Wade shows in the old version is when he tries to push Evans out the hotel window. The new version shows the West in a much harsher and realistic way.