This Iconic 89% Rotten Tomatoes Western Is So Much Better Than The Book It's Based On

Summary:

• 3:10 to Yuma is an iconic story captured in a book and two movie adaptations.
• The viewers think that the book doesn’t dive into the characters’ stories as deep as the 2007 movie does.
• The main characters of the story are played by Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

There's something about Westerns that keeps viewers coming back for more. Maybe it's the gripping atmosphere of outlaw stories and heroic actions mixed with the criminal lives of the villains, or the expected outcome of the fight between evil and good...

There are many westerns that are considered the best examples of the genre, although there are plenty to choose from. While everyone knows that the star of modern westerns is Kevin Costner, there's one particular movie we're going to tell you about today that has two different A-list actors in the lead roles.

The movie is called 3:10 to Yuma and is actually based on Elmore Leonard's 1953 book of the same name. It tells the story of a rancher, Dan Evans, who is about to take a criminal named Ben Wade to the train to Yuma.

The naive rancher is played by Cristian Bale and the ruthless villain is portrayed by Russell Crowe, and needless to say, they make an amazing tandem. The 2007 movie dives deep into their backstories and lets us understand what the reasons were that made them the way they are now.

We also have a very detailed storytelling of what is currently going on, with all the characters' emotions on the surface. But if you think that all the credit for that should go to the writer, you are sorely mistaken.

The 1953 short story actually lacks any details about the characters' lives and gives us nothing to root for or want them to fail. But James Mangold's 2007 film gives the viewer the full picture.

“It's a great movie, beautifully shot, well-acted, with a great soundtrack. The plot was high stakes, many of the "good guys" were alright at best, and the action was cool and watchable. Even if you don't normally watch Westerns, I recommend you give it a shot,” Redditor James__K__Polk said.

So if you want to give this 89% Rotten Tomatoes Western a chance to win your heart, try streaming 3:10 to Yuma on Peacock.