3:10 to Yuma LR

In contrast between the two versions of 3:10 to Yuma, the most recent version certainly reveals some revision of the more traditional elder version. In the beginning of the 2007 version Dan Evans, played by Christian Bale, is talking to his wife about how he borrowed money from Hollander. She is upset that she was not informed of his decision and almost reprimands him by saying, “Dan, I thought we made decisions together”. The alpha males in the earlier films did not typically make decisions with their wives, nor did the women have much say in any decision making process. This is an instance where the woman is not treated as the “other” as in the traditional western.

It is also surprising that in the newest version of the film that Ben Wade happens to have an Apache sharpshooter in his gang. It is almost unheard of for a Native American working together with an alpha male cowboy and being accepted by all the men in the gang. He was indeed on the side of the enemy like in the film the Searchers, but they fought together and not alongside white men.

Besides These two subtle instances, the biggest difference between these two films is the endings. In the 1957 version Ben Wade is successfully escorted on the 3:10 train to Yuma by Dan Evans, who completes his role of the common alpha male cowboy by providing justice and ending the story of the bad guy. In the most recent version of the film Dan Evans is killed before he can get Wade on the train and although Wade gets on the train regardless, the final shot is of his horse riding parallel to train leaving the audience guessing of what is to come. The alpha male cowboy of the traditional films did not allow the “Bad Guy” to win. Although this revisionist films provided plenty of 21^st century special effects and new age technology it does not accurately depict the first movie and actually takes away the genuine western feel from the original.