Review #84: '3:10 to Yuma' (1957)

Peaceful farmer Dan (Van Heflin) stumbles across a wagon robbery in which infamous thief and murderer Ben Wade (played by the great Glenn Ford) shoot and murders an innocent man, so Dan flees with his two sons. When Wade and his gang arrive in his town, he is forced to decide whether to do what's right or to think about the safety of his family. Wade's gang temporarily leave town leaving Wade to romance a lonely barmaid, until he is captured by the authorities. When Dan is offered a substantial amount of money to transport Wade to the train station where he can catch the 3:10 to Yuma to face trial, he must come up with a plan to avoid being killed by the soon to be returning gang.

Joining a long list a classic revisionist westerns alongside John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946) and Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952), the west isn't used as a primary focus for the story, but instead western elements are used to assist a different type of story. 3:10 To Yuma doesn't usually feature in those ridiculous 'Best Movies of blah blah...' lists but deserves it's place amongst the very best westerns. Similar to another genre classic Johnny Guitar (1954), the good and bad guys are not so easy to disassociate. Here, the big 'baddie' Wade is somewhat likeable, and has an admiration for the dedication of the nervous and initially almost cowardly 'hero' Dan. It's also damn exciting and every bit as tense as High Noon. It was recently remade starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, which I have yet to see, but I doubt it will capture the old-school spirit of this.

Directed by: Delmer Daves

Starring: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr

Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #80: 'The Big Heat' (1953)

German master Fritz Lang spent most of his post-German silent film career in Hollywood making film noirs and western B-movies. The Big Heat follows hardened police detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) as he investigates the apparent suicide of a fellow police officer. He is suspicious, and after he is contacted by the deceased's mistresses who claims it could not possibly be suicide, Bannion begins to unravel foul play on a large scale. When he stands tall against a powerful crime syndicate against the warnings of his peers, he is hit hard and vows revenge and justice. He must come up against the likes of mob boss Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and woman-beating goon Vince Stone (a young Lee Marvin).

It's a shockingly brutal noir, complete with torture and facial scoldings. The rules and tradictions of film noir are interestingly flipped on their head, such as the classic figure of the femme fatale being completely missing. The women that Bannion comes across are weak, afflicted or morally ambiguous. Or all three. Glenn Ford's performance in the lead is staggeringly intense, as he punches and smart-mouths his way through gangsters and authority in his quest for closure. Bannion is often repulsive in his brutality and right-wing morality, and the film goes much further than what the typical noir allows it's anti-hero to go. One of, if not the best, film Fritz Lang directed after his relocation to the U.S.

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin

Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie