The two films 3:10 to Yuma, made in 1957, and the remake, made in 2007, follow similar story lines but relate to the different cultural ideas of their time. In the 1957 version, Dan Evans is a proud rancher that has fallen on hard times because of a drought. He goes to town to get a loan of $200 dollars, is unable to procure it, and takes up the task of bringing Ben Wade to justice for the same price. Dan is clearly taking up the task to help his family, he says it is because he is tired of seeing his children go hungry and watching his wife work so hard. This relates to the Korean War that took place several years earlier, where the United States was fighting to protect South Korea from communist North Korea.
In the 2007 version, Dan Evans is a one-legged rancher that owes many people money. His sons think of him as a weak man, especially after seeing him do nothing when the stagecoach is being robbed. Dan takes up the task of transporting Wade to prove to his family his own forth. He wanted to give his sons a reason to be proud of him. This is made very obvious when Dan tells Wade that instead of losing is leg honorably in war like he had told his sons, someone in his regiment shot it off while they were retreating. Dan’s journey with Wade was one of self- discovery and self- empowerment.
This film also showed much more violence. The deaths were always brutal, at one point the viewer sees a man blown up by dynamite. There is also a huge update in technology, shown with the machine gun that is on the stagecoach. This relates to the idea of violence in America today and how it is much more acceptable to show death on TV.
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