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the wild west rides again
3:10 to Yuma
BY RICK GRANT rickgrant01@comcast.net
A Rated R 117 min
This is filmmaker James Mangold’s exciting
remake of a 1957 film based on an Elmore Leonard
short story. The original starred Glenn Ford as Ben
Wade and Van Heflin as Dan Evans. The complex
paradigm shifts in morality between the outlaw
Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and Rancher Dan Evans
(Christian Bale) is what makes this western really
special.
An underlying subplot involves the advancing
railroad across rancher Dan Evans’ land. Heavily
in debt, Evans is in danger of losing his ranch to
a ruthless land speculator who lent Evans money.
Motivated by a large payday, Evans agrees to
help guard Wade on a trip to catch a prison train
to Yuma. The thing is–Wade’s gang of killers is
shadowing the group and plans to attack them to
free their boss. Wade has committed numerous
stagecoach heists, murders and bank robberies, so
he has a date with the hangman in Yuma.
At first meeting, Wade takes a liking to Evans
because he sees part of himself in Evans’ morality.
But Wade has long ago strayed from conventional
morality by his murderous deeds and criminal
ways. Similarly, Evans sees the good in Wade but
needs the money for helping to bring Wade to justice.
The two have a grudging mutual respect for
one another, blurring the lines between good and
evil. In other words, Wade is not all bad, Evans is
not all good and both men are smart and cunning,
so they meet each other on a common ground between
good and evil.
Wisely, Mangold did not tamper with the
well-written script, but updated the special effects,
stunts, and gun gags to be much more realistic.
Mangold’s western mosaic is properly gritty and
dusty, as grungy, gun-toting men live by the frontier
justice of the Colt six-shooter and shotgun. Logan
Lerman portrays Evan’s fourteen year-old son with
scene-stealing verve. The boy has had to grow up
fast, and against his father’s wishes, he shadows
the group as it moves closer to trouble.
Although Wade is the prisoner wearing
handcuffs, he wields the power over the men. The
Pinkerton guards give him space and his above-average
intelligence and leadership ability rules their
wills. In this ad hoc platoon, Evans is second in
command. Thus, the trip to the train station to put
Wade on the 3:10 to Yuma is a clash of wills, with
Wade winning out. When they are attacked by Indians,
Wade takes command and helps them defend
the group with a gun. Of course, this exemplifies
the old adage that “the enemy of my enemy is my
friend.”
The prisoner contingent pull off a successful
ruse by sending a fake Wade off in a stage coach,
knowing Wade’s gang would attack it, thus buying
them time in the process. But, when the gang
realized they’ve been had, they quickly regroup and
head back to the train station, which is the scene of
the inevitable showdown.
There are many times during the fateful trip to
the train station when Wade and Evans join forces.
By now, they could be allies, but Evans’ strong
sense of morality is his anchor. His integrity and
moral compass guide him in his decisions. When
Wade offers him a thousand dollars (like a hundred
grand in today’s world) to let him go, Evans knows
that he could not explain the windfall and people
would know he betrayed the rule of law.
The truth is, Evans only took this job to help
pull himself out of debt. He has a pretty wife and
younger boy at home. Evans is satisfied with making
an honest living and providing for his family.
On the other hand, Wade is ruled by greed and
murders people who get in his way. Yet, the story
suggests that Wade still has a spark of morality in
his soul that allows him to admire Evans.
When the dust clears, the two men are still
on opposite sides of the law, but they are willing
to live and let live without killing each other. But
circumstances change when the gang arrives at the
train station. All hell breaks loose, and all the men’s
loyalties to job, God, and family are severely tested.
gamers get screen
King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters movie review
BY NORM STOVALL normstovall@gmail.com
As a fan of modern-day competitive video
gaming, I was pretty anxious to see this movie.
With its limited showings in cities around the
country, I had feared that I would either have to
wait for it to come to DVD or just read about it
and miss out on it altogether. On many gaming
websites there has already been lots of hype and
hoopla over the fi lm, ranging from wild and exaggerated
praises to irate gaming fans who feel that
the fi lm’s antagonist was portrayed in an unfair
way. Well, whatever. I had to see it for myself to
form an opinion, and lucky for
Jacksonville, we can now see
King of Kong in theatres starting
this Friday.
King of Kong is a documentary
fi lm that follows the
casual but dedicated gamer
Steve Wiebe (pronounced
“Wee-Bee”) on his mission to
get the top score in the age-old
classic game known as Donkey
Kong. Steve, who judging by
the movie, seems to be a pretty
regular guy aside from the fact
that he plays so much Donkey
Kong, really goes the distance
to show his worth. As the fi lm
starts, you fi nd that Wiebe had
recently achieved the accomplishment
of getting the world
record high score in not only Donkey Kong, but
also the sequel to the game, Donkey Kong Jr. In
doing so, he knocked out video game legend and
hot sauce mogul Billy Mitchell, who eventually
becomes the antagonist of the fi lm.
Billy Mitchell plays a good bad guy in the
fi lm, and he is probably the most quotable guy in
the history of all champions, with the exception of
Muhammad Ali. Take this little gem, for example:
“No matter what I say, it draws controversy. It’s
sort of like the abortion issue. If you’re for it,
you’re a son of a gun. If you’re against it, you’re a
son of a gun.” (Note: Mitchell never ever curses)
Wiebe, on the other hand, seems to be the
polar opposite. Calm and friendly, all he wants to
do is play some Donkey Kong in head-to-head
fashion with Billy Mitchell in a friendly match. He
comes across as the nicest guy ever and doesn’t
seem boastful or rude to anyone in any way, and
though he strives for the high score, his family
seems to keep him grounded. When discussing
the Guinness Book of World Records and the
importance of gaming scores, a little girl, who I’m
sure was Wiebe’s daughter, made a good point.
While Wiebe noted that some people take them
very seriously, she responded back: “Yeah, but
some people ruin their lives with that stuff.”
The ups and downs of Steve Wiebe’s adventures
are well documented and edited in a
dramatic way that stays interesting throughout
the movie. Along the way
you meet plenty of colorful,
real-life people who really
show some personality, such
as the Twin Galaxies arcade
referee who also happens to
be a musician and something
of a hippie, if you go by his
appearance in the fi lm. And
I can’t leave out a mention
of mustachioed men who
wear specialty gaming gloves
molded from weightlifting
gear, or the greasy hair and
awkward clothing that seems
to have come from an 80s
movie. Yes, there are nerds
aplenty, but not only are they
real and authentic, they also
wear the clothing that nerds
from the era of their favorite game would have
worn. I’m talking golden Phil Donahue eyeglasses,
greasy hair and fanny packs, a look only upgraded
with cell phone holsters on the hip. Terrifi c!
Overall, I feel that the movie in itself is worth
the ticket price, if not more. Like most documentaries,
much of the subject matter has been
edited for dramatic effect and certain nuances
are left out that may give some insight into the
relationship between Steve Wiebe and his rival
Billy Mitchell, but as it is, it’s a great watch. If
you want to read up on the current high scores
and see opinions from fans of the players and
from some top players themselves, you can read
all about that and more at billyvssteve.com. But
even if you aren’t THAT interested in the subject
matter of this fi lm, it’s a great watch nonetheless,
because it’s not just geared toward video heads
from the 80s.
eujacksonville.com | september 13-19, 2007 9