Wow...

This is a must see if you haven't seen it yet.

Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are incredible in it.

The ending is a bit far fetched (think Commando where there's dozens of people shooting at Ahnold, but nobody can hit him) - but it stands up to most any western I've ever seen.

Not a western fan, I found 3:10 to Yuma entertaining enough to enjoy it. Decent rental fo-sho.

Interesting you should post this as I saw it for the first time this weekend. Good movie. I don't think it is really a western, although it is set in the old west (dick juron would appreciate this view). The characters do not really act like western characters should. I viewed it as being entirely allegorical with the old west being used to highlight Dan's being a Christ figure, and this was his time in the desert. When you think about it though, this movie could have just as easily been cast in the modern times in a big city with a home foreclosure.

I would have to watch it again to really absorb the movie, but I see the Crowe character kind of like Milton's Satan. He is not really evil, although he has done some bad things. It is more that he has been cursed and now is making a heaven out of his hell, while knowing it will never be heaven. At the same time he longs to reunite with his good side.

The thing that keeps him from reuniting with his good is his inability to put down his gun, appropriately named The Hand Of God. Since he cannot relinquish it himself, he knowingly puts himself into self destructive situations, so that others may take the gun from him. He has apparently done this even before the movie, as he has been sent to Yuma two other times. When he does not have the gun, he is a better man.

I really started to believe Crowe was an allusion to Satan during the private discussions of the rancher and Crowe. Crowe, similar to Satan tries to tempt Dan Evans with the comforts of the world. The first temptation was during the night they slept in the desert. He appealed to Evans to go back to his beautiful wife and family. He then tempted him by showing the hypocrisy of the people who were taking Crowe to justice. Finally he tempted him with the untold riches. Similar to the bible story, these temptations occur at the end of both Jesus' and Evans stay in the desert.

Finally, at the end of the movie, Crowe's crew has tempted an entire town towards evil. The trip to the train is like the walk to calvary with a similar ending when the task is completed. Through the completion of the task, redemption occurs.

So there is my take, after watching it once late at night.

The once question I have is, what did Crowe do for his crew in order to gain such loyalty. His chief references, "remember what he did for us", as the reason that they should ride the 80 miles to town. Any ideas on what he did?