Day 120 - 4/30/09 - Movie #118
BEFORE: The last Western on my list - this movie got the big buzz when it came out, so expectations are high.
THE PLOT: A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma.
AFTER: Russell Crowe plays the villain, Ben Wade, but like Chigurrh in "No Country for Old Men", he's portrayed as an evil man with a moral code. It may not be like yours or mine, but it is a code - the code of the West, apparently. Christian Bale plays Dan Evans, the heroic rancher, and an early run-in with Wade creates a sort of mutual respect between them. Evans volunteers to help escort Wade to the prison train - which is like volunteering to guard Hannibal Lecter, even though you know he could tear off your face and wear it like a mask to escape... But Evans needs the money to save his ranch, so he sets out on horseback with Wade, Peter Fonda and the guy who played Steve the Pirate in "Dodgeball". Getting Wade to the train is a difficult task that slowly turns into an impossible one. The climactic shootout is one of the best I've seen - and the ending seemed far-fetched at first, until I remembered the point I made about the villain having a moral code.
Since this movie ended with a train, my next few movies will be about trains....
RATING: 8 out of 10 bullet holes
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