[Movie] 3:10 to Yuma

Originally Posted by Skexis

I really liked the movie's back and forth between Crowe and Bale, which was the reason I went to see it in the first place, but there was one thing that kinda bothered me about the end.

Spoiler:

Did anyone else have a hard time believing that Crowe would have such a transformation at the end? I got that he was supposed to be feeling regret along the way, but I never figured him to shoot the whole gang, and go to jail willingly. He could have rode into the sunset then and there. I guess it was just shocking to see him go that quickly from passive resistance to active helpfulness.

I thought about it on the way home, and it seems to me that it's a mark of a western film never to foreground the people who do look out for themselves. So while it's more likely or realistic that Crowe's character would have done what suited him best, they had to have the good guy win, even when he's dead. Did anyone else get that sense?

Spoiler:

I think Crowe's 'transformation' was very believable. You could tell that since the beginning he respected Evans as a man, and the respect grows throughout the movie when he keeps refusing his bribes and continues towards his goal of taking him to the train. When he's choking Evans and Evans reveals that he hadn't seen any action in the Civil War, it hits him that he needs this victory - everything Evans has had has been taken or is going to be taken away, including his leg, his land, and more importantly, his family's respect for him. Wade realizes that this respectable man needs this, so he goes willingly - besides, it's not like he wouldn't have escaped from Yuma again. He really wanted to see Evans win, so it makes him really mad at his gang when Prince shoots him. Then, getting on the train would at least guarantee Evans' reputation and Butterfield would have given the $1000 to the family.

How ya doing, buddy?