3.10 TO YUMA (2007)

Recently, after viewing his film IDENTITY, I consigned James Mangold to a box labelled "Interesting". Presented with potentially terrific material like COPLAND or WALK THE LINE, this director seems to deliver disappointingly routine movies fuelled by a few good performances (given the undeniably talented actors he has worked with this is hardly surprising). His remake of Delmer Daves classic 1957 3.10 TO YUMA is another case of seemingly director proof material but this time the result isn't just routine it is downright bloody awful. The script for the original was stripped down to the essential and Daves was a good enough director to trust the dramatic thrust of his material without the needless totally unnecessary embellishments that sink the new version. Everything that the original signalled by shorthand is laboured here over and over and then underlined to make sure we didn't miss the point. The big climax of the movie defies description and must win a prize for one of the most OTT put on film with the character played by Russell Crowe acting so illologically that it beggars belief. The final scene seems to be trying to make some rather obvious point about redemption but then totally scuppers the meaning with a joke involving the character's horse. Christian Bale's character is such a pain in the arse that I kept hoping somebody would shoot him (unfortunately this happened far too late to lift my rapidly sinking spirits) and Russell Crowe (an actor I quite like) turns in the worst performance I've seen him give. Of the supporting cast only Peter Fonda seems to make anything of his role - an embittered Pinkerton Detective. If you decide to see it then try to see the original as well...Delmar Daves, Glenn Ford and Van Heflin win hands down. Rating *

IDENTITY (2003)

James Mangold is one of the newer Hollywood directors who hovers on the edge of my consciousness with a little flashing light over his head that says "interesting" without his films ever being 100 % satsfying. So it is with IDENTITY which was released in 2003 to, generally, good reviews which lumped it in with the slasher genre but praised it for being superior. There is actually much more going on here. The film has a sort of framing story featuring Alfred Molina as a psychiatrist which gives the film a cute psychological back story that I found both intrusive and as unnecessary as the much criticised epilogue to the 1956 THE BAD SEED. If it works for you that is fine but I was having too much fun with the main section of the film and was quiite happy to take it at face value. A stormy, rain swept night and ten travellers, for various reasons, find themselves marooned at an out of the way motel complex. Attempts to get help soon lead to the discovery that the bridge is out, the road has been washed away and the phones are all down...and there is a homicidal maniac on the loose. No folks, we are not back in a 1930's old dark house thriller but that is the name of the game. One by one the motel guests are being sliced and diced. Red herrings and clues abound and at one point somebody actually utters the classic line (raising a cheer from me) of "Look, we'll just all stay together" which has been ignored by professional victims for decades. There's a head in the tumble drier and you have to go and look for something in your room, on your own, yeah, sure you do. Without ever quite spoofing the genre, Mangold, plays all the cliches and openly lets us know that he knows that we know by pointedly invoking references to THE OLD DARK HOUSE, PSYCHO, HALLOWEEN and, of course, Agatha Christie's TEN LITTLE INDIANS. The revelation of the killer is totally unbelievable but excused by that damed framing plot....but, you know what ? I'd have been just as happy to laugh it all off without the pychological mumbo jumbo. After all if I believe that my lawn can kill me when Night Shyamalan tells me, I'm game fopr almost anything. A superior cast led by Ray Liotta, John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Jake Busey and Rebecca De Mornay play without a hint of send up. Have fun. Rating ***