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3.10 TO YUMA
(15) 117min «u
Pitting Russell Crowe and Christian Bale head-to-head guarantees a bout of intense, tortured manliness and this glowering, gripping remake of Delmer Daves's 1957 Western (adapted from an Elmore Leonard short story) practically fires rounds of solid testosterone. Dan Evans (Bale) is a crippled soldier-turned-rancher, losing both his land to ruthless developers and his despairing family’s respect. Notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) is a scripture-quoting charmer and cold-blooded killer. When Wade is captured, a desperate, penniless Evans joins the posse to transport him to the town of Contention where the titular train will take Wade to jail, his gang in hell-bent pursuit.
What a half-century ago unfolded as a taut, claustrophobic chamber piece is expertly unpacked by Walk the Line and Girl, Interrupted director James Mangold and adapters Michael Brandt & Derek Haas into a brooding, psychologically murkier odyssey. Wrestling open the action to include marauding apaches and vigilantes staking their claim on the new frontier scuffs up an already torn and frayed morality. Wade and Evans secretly envy each other; black-hat-white-hat delineations won't wash here, notably in a starkly flipped ending that actually works best for those familiar with the ‘57 version.
Original thesps Van Heflin and Glenn Ford were sturdy but star (fire)power will out. The rugged, imposing Crowe revels in playing on his charismatic ne‘er-do-well persona. Bale, grimly determined to earn his shot at redemption, matches him all the way, with memorable support from Peter Fonda's hard-bitten bounty hunter and Ben Foster as Wade’s gimlet- eyed psycho lieutenant. Mangold by and large shoots straight with a refreshing leanness in tune with his no-nonsense leads. Climactic motivations do veer from complex to a shade convoluted but overall this 3.10 to Yuma is an unyielding, turbo-charged express, expertly retooled for these ambiguous times. (Leigh Singer)
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a it; or Small Engine Repair (15) 102min 0.. l ow key but lllt)‘.|llt) and engaging tale of aging aspiring Irish mountr‘, singer l)oug ilain (ileni and his attempts to make it in the rnusrr: business. l over st )lllltlilii(ll\ and stellar perforrnanees; make this; a kinil of Irish version of Bruce Beresford's; lender Mere/es See lain Glen interView. page 11.8. Cameo, lili/ibi/rgli from [H I Sep
Shoot ‘Em Up (18) 90min 0.. l njoyably silly hi octane r:orne(l\,‘ aetion thriller about the laconir; Mr Smith (Clive Owen) anrl his attempts; to proteet a newborn baby from an army of gunmen. Writer (llltftlltfl Miizhael [Jan/is; has been making marl exploitation rgomerlres; like this for years; (Monster Mari. (Sr/l lever, light [)avs; a Week; but this; could be his; real breakthrough film. (Se/rera/ release from Fri 74 Sep. The Serpent (15) 119min 0.. Intense and gripping lreneh thriller about a near failsafe l)l£i(£klll£ill scheme that goes; wrong, See Olga Kurylenko intervrew. page (£9. lr/rrrlrouse from In M fie/1.
The Legacy (PG) 75min .00. Georgian filmmaker (Sela Babluani's fine follow up to his ‘Jirgious; (lebut (if ll/a/riati). This pseudo rural horror details what happens when some cool Frech travellers (:orne large to face Willi ailment Georgian ritual and poverty. See profile. page 40. (5/7. Glasgow from Fri I4 80;).
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it u hing artzi l ,. lasionalh prr ilounrl lrar'ia ll is ll) ,ears; after the 'i.°‘lllll')‘.'. of (,'i;-aus;es;<tu. .in~l Il‘ the umall ti iwn til Christmas, retirerl lllli>.l)(i(l\,' l)‘s<:r_i<:i IMiri:ea Ariilreesrlil It’ll)(l‘.(‘lll}lll?(l ll :i:al hrstor‘, ltféltlltll Manesyu rlon iSaprla'ui anl self aggranrlisung .J;lero'fs(tll leorl< )r (lorliarii. the < turner of a loyal railio station. (orne trgether to remember the night of :lern' instration anrl rebellion il‘.ll player: out in their town all those years; ago. What unlolrls is; an i:‘.l,‘lllllt_l of false memory f;tll)]i3(ill‘.llv anrl ileailpan humour.
(,‘le.'er. art: issible anrl full of ii:(,;<lental (letail. l’orumboiu's; l iulti .i\.'.'ar<l '.'.’llllllllll. genuinely likeable film is; further proof of the rise anrl rise of Romanian <‘inema in the past few tears; from I’llllfi's remarkable llie [lull/f or Mr It'l.'i'llt.‘fi(fll to this year's; l’alme :l'()r Winning-1Mont/rs. .‘i’ ‘.'.’eek:;. alto" ." Days. by Cristian Mungiu. In terms; of einernatir; relormation. Hurtharest anrl its
sum iunrls have never been hotter lhe ke. to the beauty of all these films; ‘.'.'oulrl f;‘.:<:ll‘ to lie in V‘Jilliam Blake's. description of rnankinrl before the l all in f),’()‘.e”.’)_‘. til l lelr’: ‘lhe hearl Sublime. the heart l’athos. the genitals lieaut‘, the hanrls anrl feet Proportrortf lliglll, reeornrnenrterl. ll’aul Dale,
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ltll“|l L H [JR/«Ni; TRUE NORTH (15) 95min .0.
‘.'.’ithht;t The kr‘wi.'.'lerl<_;e of their skipper 'Czary Levris), Sean (Martin Corripston) anrt sexed-Lip mega/member Rile/ iPeter Mullah) agree to solve their financral problems bl. viletall, transporting a group of Chinese immigrants into the UK. As lgzirviitwris .'.'<>rser1 below sleek. Sean begins to realise that complicity in the r;~f:(;<f. business of hurrian trafficking offers more corripligations than catching fish
exer oairi Tm» ;:‘."rr.sr;"va~; at tile Ill/)él'd the trawler at sea is persuaswely deseribed, tfii‘llf} ls: wigrapnirig.) sexe'al irripresswe sequences that capture the guret
't‘esrge'ab i". of lite at sea. Among a capable cast. Cornpston gives a mature bwa :"“:a".:~': as Sean. zaeght bets-Jeep the practicalities of his father's l,;'~’_l';;a"1~i:’ t a": The opporturt'f,’ to triake a fast. immoral buck. Yet, while True '.';,>r'.’" s ,rfh, atterript at raising axxare‘rwess of immigration issues. the impact e‘ Haas/J‘s: tirxztene b, a compromised last act which glibly ducks the importers saga! .ssues raised. ‘Eddle Harrisoni I F ""‘CJSEL Ed’r‘txirgl.‘ f'orri Fri 74 Set).
6-20 Sep 2007 WE LIST 41