Throughout the film I kept thinking of Dan Evans as a sort of Jesus figure. He obviously carries this image as he's the hero of the story, but also for some other reasons. When Jesus came to earth most of the Jews rejected him because they thought the Messiah was going to be someone who was going to come and be a big war hero and overthrow the oppressive rulers. William, Dan's son, didn't show him the respect he should have as a son to his father, saying that he wasn't going to get things done about Hollander taking their land away, is like the Jews attitude toward Jesus when he came.
Once Dan has successfully gotten Wade from the inn to the train station without being shot they're sitting there waiting for the train to come, Dan just says, "You know, I ain't stubborn." Wade asks what he's talking about and Dan replies that he's not stubborn like Wade had accused him of being for keeping his family on that dying ranch in the middle of the desert. Dan explains that his youngest, Mark, was diagnosed with tuberculosis and the doctor told him he needed to be moved to a dry climate. Even though it's hard on the family Dan is keeping his family there because it's the best thing for his son. God is like that. We may not know why things are the way they are, but I believe that God knows what he's doing and what's best for us. Even if we don't know why we're in a situation, God knows what's best for us, so we should trust him in everything we are given.
Right before Dan takes Wade to the train station from the inn Wade tries to strike a deal with Dan. As Dan is going to be paid $200 upon return, Wade offers him $400 to let him go. Dan says, "So you figure that's my price, do you?" and Wade responds, "No. No I reckon it's a thousand." There's some silence before Wade actually gives him the offer of $1,000, plus $10,000 from Hollander's coach he had held up at the beginning of the movie. Dan, not sure if he believes him jokes, "Will that be in a bank note, Wade? Or would you be kind enough to make a deposit for me?" and Wade, straight-faced, responds, "Cash. All you gotta do is open that door and let me walk out." You can see Dan's mind going back and forth in the look on his face, actually considering trading the lives of the people that died to help him get Wade where he is now for a fortune (at that time). This is a decision we face, though not to that extreme, everyday. We have the choice to go on and do what we know we need to do for the greater good, or do the easier thing, which may seem to be profitable to you at the time.
Dan is called, on several occasions, referred to as "The one who walked Ben Wade to that station when nobody else would." Jesus was the one who walked our sins to the cross when nobody else COULD.
These are the spiritual connections I made while watching the film 3:10 to Yuma.
Next Week's Film: 10 Things I Hate About You: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
3:10 to Yuma Premise - Contains Spoilers
The film 3:10 to Yuma, starring Christian Bale and Russel Crowe is a western action movie, rated R for violence and language. This isn't a children's movie. Lots of shooting and lots of swearing.
The film is set in the late 1900s, during a boom in the railroad industry. Rancher Dan Evans (Bale) lives on a patch of land owned by a man named Hollander (Lennie Loftin), who has been trying to get Dan to move off of it so he can sell the land to the railroad company for more money. The film opens with Hollander's cronies, led by Tucker (Kevin Durand) burning down Dan's barn in the middle of the night. Dan and his oldest son William (Logan Lerman) go into the burning barn and get as much horse tack and horses as they can before the barn collapses. William attempts to pull a bag of feed out, but Dan tells him to leave it and just as Dan pulls his son out of the barn the roof caves in right where William was standing. Dan assures William that he'll take care of it, but William doesn't believe him.
Meanwhile, Ben Wade (Crowe) and his outfit, led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) attack an armored payroll coach headed for Bisbee, AZ, killing all but one of the hired Pinkerton agents with it.
As morning rolls around, Dan, along with his two sons, in search of their herd that Tucker let loose the night before, stumbles upon the scene where Wade is robbing the coach. Put in an interesting position, Wade strikes a deal with Dan, the outlaws take the boys' horses into town and they bring their cattle back home. The outlaws ride off on the Evans' horses.
Dan tends to the injured Pinkerton, Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), and carries him into Bisbee, not knowing that that's where Wade's gang was headed as well. They find their horses cinched up where Wade had told them he'd leave them for them, and mount up, heading into town.
Charlie has already tricked the marshall and his men into checking out the coach they had just held up, so there isn't a lawman in the town. The outlaws stop for a celebratory drink at a saloon, and Wade decides to get cozy with the barmaid, while Charlie and the gang take off, promising to wait for him on the outskirts of town.
Dan, after getting McElroy into town, brings him to the town doctor, who is actually a veterinarian (Alan Tudyk) who removes the bullet from his stomach. After the procedure is done, Dan crosses the street to the saloon where Hollander's office is. Meaning to go in and talk to him about undamming his water supply, but being rejected, Dan decides to take matters into his own hands, goes back to his horse, grabs his shotgun, and walks back into the saloon, just as the marshall gets back into town. The marshall sees what's happening and gets his men to surround the saloon, which, unknown to them, holds Ben Wade.
Wade comes downstairs just as Dan bursts through the doors, shotgun in tow. Remembering Dan from earlier, Wade humors him by paying him for the cattle that died when they were caught in the crossfire, and for the lost days work of him and his boys. As all this is going on, Dan sees the marshall's men closing in on the saloon. Just as the negotiations are done, the marshall's men come in and arrest Ben Wade, saying he's going to be put on the 3:10 train to Yuma prison the day after tomorrow to be hanged and made an example of.
They need a group to escort such a notorious criminal. Tucker and the man from the railroad, Grayson Butterfield (Dallas Roberts) volunteer to take him, along with McElroy. Still wounded, the marshall insists the doctor go too. Dan says that he'll take him as long as he'll be paid 200 dollars upon his return. Butterfield agrees to this and the plan is set.
Charlie comes riding into town, shooting randomly when he sees that Wade's being put in the marshall's wagon, then rides off. Knowing it's not going to be a safe journey, the group decides on a plan. The marshall takes off in the wagon toward Dan's ranch and the group take another man from the railroad out to the ranch on horseback.
Once the wagon gets out to Dan's ranch, the wheel gets stuck in a rut, and the marshall calls out to Dan for help. Tucker, Dan and the man from the railroad come out to help him. They open the door to the marshall's wagon, take Wade out, take his hat off, and give him the railroad man's hat and coat. The railroad man dons Wade's hat and takes his place in the wagon and they take off again. Charlie, who had been following the wagon from Bisbee, thinking Wade is still in the wagon, follows.
The group sets out that night. Shortly after the group leaves, William sneaks out of bed, takes his own pistol and his horse and follows the group.
During the night Tucker, who's annoying Wade as he's keeping watch over him during the night shift, so he can't sleep either, is attacked by Wade who kills him. With no time to bury him, the group must move on.
The outlaws catch up with the marshall's wagon, carrying the fake Wade. When they realize its just a decoy, they set the wagon on fire and demand the railroad man tell them where they're taking Wade. He finally tells them they're going to Contention to put him on the Yuma train.
The next day, after McElroy says a few choice words to Wade, Wade attacks him, knocks him off his horse and throws him down a ravine. Wade takes McElroy's gun and is holding the group at gunpoint when William comes in, holding his pistol to Wade's head. He talks Wade out of killing the men, and Dan takes McElroy's gun away from him.
The group, on their way to Contention, decides to take the pass through Apache country, against the wishes of Wade, who says they're going to get killed by the Apache. They go through, but are attacked during the night. Wade escapes and takes Dan's gun and uses it to kill the couple braves attacking the group. He then knocks Ben unconscious and takes off.
Wade gets caught up in a railroad operation heading through some mountains when he's recognized by someone whose brother he killed. They begin torturing him, when the group comes and pulls some sweet moves and gets him free, because, as Dan said, there's no reward for getting him halfway there. Once Wade's back in their possession, at the cost of the life of the doctor, they continue on into Contention.
The outlaws, right behind them, come across the same group and get through in much the same way, except with a lot more killing.
Now in Contention, they book a room at an inn across town from the train station. Still an hour before the train is scheduled to come. Butterfield gets a small group together from people in the town to protect Wade from being taken by the outlaws.
And speak of the devil, the outlaws roll in. Once they find out where Wade is and how many people are protecting him, Charlie gives the town of Contention a deal, $200 for anyone who kills one of Wade's captors. The protectors begin dropping like flies. First the marshall of Contention leaves, and is shot by the townspeople, then Butterfield says he's going to get out while he still can, and then Dan tells William he can't go and has to stay when he takes Wade to the station.
There's a very long drawn out gunfight as Wade and Dan make there way from the inn to the train station, but we find out how Dan lost his foot, and see a whole new side of Wade. When they finally get to the station, the train is late, so they have to wait for it to get there. When it does, Dan runs Wade out to the car, and Wade gets shackled in, just as the gate is shutting however, Dan is shot in the back by Charlie, who caught up with them. As he's turning around, Charlie empties the rest of his six shooter into Dan and he falls to the ground, nearly dead.
Wade steps out of the train, knowing he deserves to die for the crimes he's committed, and having grown close to Dan, he's a little angered by Charlie's actions. Once Charlie gives him his gun and belt back, Wade whips out The Hand of God, the name of his pistol, and shoots all the members of his party, leaving Charlie for last. Once they're all taken care of, he gets back on the train and back into the gated car, as William runs in and collapses over his dying father.
William cries as he says "You did it dad, he's on the train because you brought him all the way." The train begins to move and Wade whistles and his horse follows the train, ready to bring him back once he escapes from Yuma prison for the third time (assumedly)
The film is set in the late 1900s, during a boom in the railroad industry. Rancher Dan Evans (Bale) lives on a patch of land owned by a man named Hollander (Lennie Loftin), who has been trying to get Dan to move off of it so he can sell the land to the railroad company for more money. The film opens with Hollander's cronies, led by Tucker (Kevin Durand) burning down Dan's barn in the middle of the night. Dan and his oldest son William (Logan Lerman) go into the burning barn and get as much horse tack and horses as they can before the barn collapses. William attempts to pull a bag of feed out, but Dan tells him to leave it and just as Dan pulls his son out of the barn the roof caves in right where William was standing. Dan assures William that he'll take care of it, but William doesn't believe him.
Meanwhile, Ben Wade (Crowe) and his outfit, led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) attack an armored payroll coach headed for Bisbee, AZ, killing all but one of the hired Pinkerton agents with it.
As morning rolls around, Dan, along with his two sons, in search of their herd that Tucker let loose the night before, stumbles upon the scene where Wade is robbing the coach. Put in an interesting position, Wade strikes a deal with Dan, the outlaws take the boys' horses into town and they bring their cattle back home. The outlaws ride off on the Evans' horses.
Dan tends to the injured Pinkerton, Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), and carries him into Bisbee, not knowing that that's where Wade's gang was headed as well. They find their horses cinched up where Wade had told them he'd leave them for them, and mount up, heading into town.
Charlie has already tricked the marshall and his men into checking out the coach they had just held up, so there isn't a lawman in the town. The outlaws stop for a celebratory drink at a saloon, and Wade decides to get cozy with the barmaid, while Charlie and the gang take off, promising to wait for him on the outskirts of town.
Dan, after getting McElroy into town, brings him to the town doctor, who is actually a veterinarian (Alan Tudyk) who removes the bullet from his stomach. After the procedure is done, Dan crosses the street to the saloon where Hollander's office is. Meaning to go in and talk to him about undamming his water supply, but being rejected, Dan decides to take matters into his own hands, goes back to his horse, grabs his shotgun, and walks back into the saloon, just as the marshall gets back into town. The marshall sees what's happening and gets his men to surround the saloon, which, unknown to them, holds Ben Wade.
Wade comes downstairs just as Dan bursts through the doors, shotgun in tow. Remembering Dan from earlier, Wade humors him by paying him for the cattle that died when they were caught in the crossfire, and for the lost days work of him and his boys. As all this is going on, Dan sees the marshall's men closing in on the saloon. Just as the negotiations are done, the marshall's men come in and arrest Ben Wade, saying he's going to be put on the 3:10 train to Yuma prison the day after tomorrow to be hanged and made an example of.
They need a group to escort such a notorious criminal. Tucker and the man from the railroad, Grayson Butterfield (Dallas Roberts) volunteer to take him, along with McElroy. Still wounded, the marshall insists the doctor go too. Dan says that he'll take him as long as he'll be paid 200 dollars upon his return. Butterfield agrees to this and the plan is set.
Charlie comes riding into town, shooting randomly when he sees that Wade's being put in the marshall's wagon, then rides off. Knowing it's not going to be a safe journey, the group decides on a plan. The marshall takes off in the wagon toward Dan's ranch and the group take another man from the railroad out to the ranch on horseback.
Once the wagon gets out to Dan's ranch, the wheel gets stuck in a rut, and the marshall calls out to Dan for help. Tucker, Dan and the man from the railroad come out to help him. They open the door to the marshall's wagon, take Wade out, take his hat off, and give him the railroad man's hat and coat. The railroad man dons Wade's hat and takes his place in the wagon and they take off again. Charlie, who had been following the wagon from Bisbee, thinking Wade is still in the wagon, follows.
The group sets out that night. Shortly after the group leaves, William sneaks out of bed, takes his own pistol and his horse and follows the group.
During the night Tucker, who's annoying Wade as he's keeping watch over him during the night shift, so he can't sleep either, is attacked by Wade who kills him. With no time to bury him, the group must move on.
The outlaws catch up with the marshall's wagon, carrying the fake Wade. When they realize its just a decoy, they set the wagon on fire and demand the railroad man tell them where they're taking Wade. He finally tells them they're going to Contention to put him on the Yuma train.
The next day, after McElroy says a few choice words to Wade, Wade attacks him, knocks him off his horse and throws him down a ravine. Wade takes McElroy's gun and is holding the group at gunpoint when William comes in, holding his pistol to Wade's head. He talks Wade out of killing the men, and Dan takes McElroy's gun away from him.
The group, on their way to Contention, decides to take the pass through Apache country, against the wishes of Wade, who says they're going to get killed by the Apache. They go through, but are attacked during the night. Wade escapes and takes Dan's gun and uses it to kill the couple braves attacking the group. He then knocks Ben unconscious and takes off.
Wade gets caught up in a railroad operation heading through some mountains when he's recognized by someone whose brother he killed. They begin torturing him, when the group comes and pulls some sweet moves and gets him free, because, as Dan said, there's no reward for getting him halfway there. Once Wade's back in their possession, at the cost of the life of the doctor, they continue on into Contention.
The outlaws, right behind them, come across the same group and get through in much the same way, except with a lot more killing.
Now in Contention, they book a room at an inn across town from the train station. Still an hour before the train is scheduled to come. Butterfield gets a small group together from people in the town to protect Wade from being taken by the outlaws.
And speak of the devil, the outlaws roll in. Once they find out where Wade is and how many people are protecting him, Charlie gives the town of Contention a deal, $200 for anyone who kills one of Wade's captors. The protectors begin dropping like flies. First the marshall of Contention leaves, and is shot by the townspeople, then Butterfield says he's going to get out while he still can, and then Dan tells William he can't go and has to stay when he takes Wade to the station.
There's a very long drawn out gunfight as Wade and Dan make there way from the inn to the train station, but we find out how Dan lost his foot, and see a whole new side of Wade. When they finally get to the station, the train is late, so they have to wait for it to get there. When it does, Dan runs Wade out to the car, and Wade gets shackled in, just as the gate is shutting however, Dan is shot in the back by Charlie, who caught up with them. As he's turning around, Charlie empties the rest of his six shooter into Dan and he falls to the ground, nearly dead.
Wade steps out of the train, knowing he deserves to die for the crimes he's committed, and having grown close to Dan, he's a little angered by Charlie's actions. Once Charlie gives him his gun and belt back, Wade whips out The Hand of God, the name of his pistol, and shoots all the members of his party, leaving Charlie for last. Once they're all taken care of, he gets back on the train and back into the gated car, as William runs in and collapses over his dying father.
William cries as he says "You did it dad, he's on the train because you brought him all the way." The train begins to move and Wade whistles and his horse follows the train, ready to bring him back once he escapes from Yuma prison for the third time (assumedly)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Plan
As of today, October 23rd, 2011, I own 283 movies, on DVD or VHS. My plan is to go through all of these movies and make spiritual connections on all of them. Some of them may be difficult, and some of them may be pretty big stretches. But, as someone who aspires to be a youth pastor, I feel I need to have a good idea of the things that are out there and how to connect them to our daily walk with the Lord.
This blog will hopefully be updated Wednesday nights.
Here is a list of my movies:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150260506473100
First on the list is 3:10 to Yuma
This blog will hopefully be updated Wednesday nights.
Here is a list of my movies:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150260506473100
First on the list is 3:10 to Yuma
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