3:10 to Yuma.

"3:10 to Yuma is a tense, rugged redo of a film that was pretty good the first time around," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy. "Reinforced by a strong central premise, alert performances, a realistic view of the developing Old West and a satisfying dimensionality in its shadings of good and evil, James Mangold's remake walks a fine line in retaining many of the original's qualities while smartly shaking things up a bit."

"The western has become the most unfashionable of genres, with a reputation for box-office poison that persists despite the relatively recent success of Open Range (2003)," writes Allan Hunter for Screen Daily. "The 50th anniversary remake of 3:10 to Yuma is sturdy enough to withstand the jinx. Handsomely crafted, it represents a largely successful fusion of old-style storytelling virtues with a modern Hollywood ethos in which action speaks louder than words."

Updated through 8/29.

Online listening tip. Peter Fonda's a guest on Fresh Air.

Earlier: David Bordwell sits in on a sound editing session.

Updates, 8/20: "The Shamus has been unhappy about this remake of 3:10 To Yuma for over a year now. Why remake a perfect film? Because Hollywood has run out of ideas, apparently. So do yourself a favor: Delmer Daves's atmospheric original is being reissued on DVD on Aug 28. Get it. Watch it. Savor it."

"While a good part of the 1957 version was confined to a single hotel room and Mangold's decision to open up the piece considerably doesn't always work in its favor, [Russell] Crowe, [Christian] Bale and the rest of the crack ensemble keep the trip intriguing, even over those occasional bumpy parts," writes Michael Rechtshaffen in the Hollywood Reporter.

Posted by dwhudson at August 18, 2007 5:59 AM