3:10 to Yuma?
 

A guy whose taste I trust told me this past week that 3:10 to Yuma is "terrible," despite all the favorable reviews. I'm shaken, hugely disappointed. No one here has seen it? Can some one preview it for us?

It's definitely not terrible.

Can you recommend it?

yes. I give it an A-. Not everyone will like it.

Go in with low expectations. It's not a perfect film, but I liked it for reasons I have outlined in my semi-spoiler thread.

I haven't seen it yet, but try and name a bad Russell Crowe movie. Based on his presence alone, I'd bet it's a decent movie.

I can see some folks not really liking it.

Imagine if unforgiven didn't have the last massacre scene (that really hearkens back to western stereotypes, whereas most of the rest of the movie broke them). Would it be as popular as it was? I'm guessing not.

I didn't like Unforgiven because I thought the main characters' changes in character were too abrupt and unconvincing, and then after pretending to be this anti-violence polemic the film reverts to retro Eastwood in the last scene. It was bullshit. I have no problem with violence in movies if not gratuitous. I love virtually all of Eastwood's old stuff. What I don't like is a bad movie and/or hypocrisy. But most movies that win best picture suck, don't they.

Christian Bale is not the most emotive actor in the world. So he may or may not work as a protagonist for some people. Unforgiven lacks enough humanity to make it very engaging (exactly the opposite of Lonesome Dove).

also, if you want more westerns to ever be made, go see this film, even if it isn't perfect.

I'm surprised you felt that way about it. I thought that it was all about Money's (sp?) struggle, and ultimately his failure, to be something other than he was: a killer. A reluctant anti-hero. The movie worked for me.