3:10 to Yuma- VC

The original film of 3:10 to Yuma was made in the 1950s. This was a decade that was consumed by cultural issues such as, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Cold War and the start of a second wave of the women's movement. In the United States, during the Cold War, there was also the red scare which was a fear of communism. This eventually resulted in McCarthy's black list, which accused people of being communists. The film was released in 1957 and these cultural issues were reflected in the film. The role of women in this film is very minimal, as in most western films of its time. Alice, Dan Evans wife, has a small role and when she tries to convince Dan to give up and not bring Ben Wade to the train, he ignores her and continues with his duty. The only other women role was the girl in the bar that Ben Wade meets. She has a limited part and is left behind once Wade is caught. The alpha male cowboy is Dan Evans and the 'villian' is outlaw Ben Wade. Dan fulfills his duty and brings Wade to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. These two characters fulfill the customary roles of the alpha male cowboy and the 'bad-guy'. The remake of 3:10 to Yuma was released in 2007. The cultural issues were much different than the ones taking place when the original was filmed. Events such as, 9/11 and the War on Terror were the main focus. The role of women in 2007 as compared to their role in 1957 was very different. The change in cultural issues is reflected in the remake of this film. The role of women is still small in this film, but their characters were more respected in this film. Dan Evans is still the alpha male cowboy and Ben Wade is the muderous outlaw. However, the alpha male cowboy is very different in this film than in most westerns. He is injured because he lost his leg in a war. He is desperately trying to gain respect from his oldest son and wife. In the end, he dies which never happens to the alpha male cowboy. The characteristics of this cowboy seem to reflect the cultural struggle with war that has been continuing since the early 2000's. Ben Wade is also different from most bad guys. He tells Dan Evans about his father's death and about how his mother abandoned him. For the first time, their is psychological reasons for what makes the outlaw evil. In the end, he even kills all of the men in his gang after they murder Evans and he gets on the train for Yuma prison.