3:10 to Yuma offers a simple story, in some ways flawed but makes up for it some nifty black and white photography. Director Delmer Daves goes for some good shots to make this something more than a run of the mill western.Glenn Ford is the leader of the outlaw pack, when he smirks he looks a bit like a shark. Van Heflin is the poor rancher facing a drought, in need of money and respect from his family. When Ford is captured, Van Heflin agrees for $200 to escort Ford to the town of Contention and put him on the train to Yuma before Ford's gang can rescue him.In the mean time devious Ford toys and plays mind games with Van Heflin. Can he keep his nerve and get Ford on the train in one piece as Ford's vicious gang close in?It is an average 'one man who stands up to the baddies' melodrama but High Noon did this better and that movie had a political subtext, this is rather low key with a rather spurious climax.

No need to repeat the plot.Director Delmer Daves made a series of westerns in the mid-50's before moving on to glossy fluff like A Summer Place (!959). The westerns include such standouts as Drumbeat (1954), Jubal (1956), and Cowboy (1958). His westerns unfortunately have never gotten their critical due. All show real ability with staging, suspense, and character. Arguably, 3:10 is the best of the lot, certainly the most successful, though my preference is the scenic and sprawling Jubal. I suspect Daves has been overlooked because his westerns, unlike Buddy Boetticher's Ranown series (e.g. The Tall T, {1957}), lack thematic continuity.However that may be, 3:10 builds more than it's share of suspense, as hardscrabble rancher Evans (Heflin) struggles to get smooth-talking outlaw Wade (Ford) onto the train to Yuma and the trial that awaits him. Heflin delivers an ace performance, a study in sheer resolve under an ordinary appearance, while Ford is charmingly devious, an enigma under a smirking veneer. Together they're a study in low-key character rivalry. But I'm especially glad to see two of Hitchcock's favorite TV unlovelies, Jones and Emhardt, getting positive roles for a change. No need to recap the film's obvious dramatic strengths. Instead there are a couple negatives that have generally gone unremarked. Felicia Farr's bartending role turns out to be totally unnecessary to the story. In an otherwise savvy script, the only reason for its presence that I can see is to build up movie star Ford's role. That's not to blame Ford, but it is to point out how established stars got favored treatment from studios, both to nurture the star and protect studio investment. Plus why an unprotected and delectable young woman would be tending bar frequented by drunken cowboys makes no sense. The other point is very minor, yet since when does a cloudless sky produce rain. The long-shot shows no clouds, yet the next shot shows Evans' wife (Dana) hand-waving in the rain, lo, a meteorological miracle. Surely special effects could have matted in a few set-up clouds in an otherwise detailed production.Anyway, the movie remains an effective combination of melodrama and character interest. I'm just sorry Daves has not gotten the recognition his oaters deserve.

This movie, filmed on the Old Tucson movie site, is definitely like High Noon. The outlaw in this piece, played well by Glenn Ford, is as mean as mean can be. Van Heflin, who must get him on the train, is a big, dauntless man who is determined to do his job. Felicia Farr here, as always, is able to catch a man's eye, the beautiful lady she is. Yes, is so much like the classic "High Noon", and the viewer is wondering if Heflin will be successful in his job. It would have looked better in color, as was the 2007 version of the movie, but I still enjoyed watching it. You can't get jaded by this western, despite the slow pace of it, and I have always liked it. Very exciting in its own way.

It's late 19th century in the dusty Arizona Territory. Struggling rancher Dan Evans (Van Heflin) and his sons encounter Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) and his gang in a stagecoach holdup. Dan refuses to intervene. Later, Ben is captured. Desperate for money, Dan takes the job to guard the criminal destined for the the 3:10 train to Yuma.This is one of the first based on a Elmore Leonard short story. I watched the 2007 remake first. I found it gritty, morally murky, and quite frankly confused without the black and white characters. After watching the 1957 original, I can appreciate more of what the filmmakers are trying to do. I especially like the kid nagging at his father, almost taunting him as a coward. Dan's motivation is varied and complicated. In a sense, he's very human. Glenn Ford is brilliant playing against type as a villain. His motivation is also complicated. He seems like a mannered honorable man one minute and a cold-hearted killer the next. The ending is a little bit too happy ending which seemed ill fitting. Other than that, there is a lot to recommend in this movie.