Heaven Hi!!!

Let’s have a cup of coffee. Make mine a Yuma Express, hold the revenge.

Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is an honest rancher — which is to say, poor. The ultimate humanities character. He’s crippled by debt, and crippled physically too, a souvenir from the War Between the States. Events change when Dan is offered $200 to escort the outlaw Ben Wade, played by our western “gladiator,” Russell Crowe, safely into custody on the 3:10 train with a makeshift posse comprising a veterinarian,a wounded Pinkerton operative, Peter Fonda, and a businessman Dallas Roberts. However, Dan does it for the money, for respect, and because he believes it’s the right thing to do.

Over the course of the journey, the articulate, genial Wade whittles away at each of these convictions, even as he looks for any opportunity to level off the odds. Wade struggle for control portrays him as the power character of the film.

This film was adapted from an early short story by Elmore Leonard that was previously filmed in 1957 with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, “3:10 to Yuma” strikes a fair balance between physical action and psychological warfare, but always at its core is the question of how we are to measure these two men?

Crowe plays Wade very gently. He’s a man utterly at ease with himself, commanding and confident no matter that he spends much of the picture in chains. Crowe’s performance makes him all the more attractive revealing his sexuality as his 50% of personality. The other 25% of Crowes personality was his passion and power directed towards being DRIVEN to dominate, and passionate about his mission.

It’s also clear that he’s utterly ruthless.

By contrast, Christian Bale’s Evans is still striving to prove something. He may occupy the moral high ground, but most often he’s the one picking himself out of the dust. Bales attempt of maintain the law and follow through with justice as well as survive as a poor civil war vet, tags this character as the prime definition of a character of humanities. His power balance tips in order to dominate Crowe, however maintaines his passion for justice which keeps him as a Balanced, Observent, and Present(BOP) character.

This well made movie lucidly depicts all the elements of the Acting For Real method. Rich, potent, passion, exuded from this film as well as action to keep you riveted. A so called “Lethal Weapon,” set in 1876. An Acting For Real success.

If you would like to know how to break down a movie using the creative triangle of human behavior, stop by before you go, and buy my book. This book will not only teach you the dynamics of movie structure, and character, but will help you understand what roles you are playing in your life. Whether it is onscreen or off screen, learn how you can be the star in your play in life.

Be BOP!!!

Thom