[wbassett]

I just watch this one.

The acting was superb, but Wade's motives were more than confusing. One minute he's killing the law men trying to get him to Yuma, and the next he's saving them. Wade could have escaped many many times yet didn't, and even came back when he could have stayed gone. It was almost like some key scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.

Greed could have been one factor. Without ruining anything, it was possible Wade wanted his men to get gunned down and then he'd escape (because all through the movie I got a sense that Wade knew he could get away any time he wanted to) and then that would mean even more money for Wade. IF that was a plot line it was burried or ended up cut. Somehow though I don't think that was ever really written into the story.

So that comes back to exactly what was Wade's motive in helping the very people that were taking him to his death? Did he suddenly become noble and admire and respect Evans? If he did, he didn't remain 'noble' for long, killing off his captives one by one, even with a fork.

I love westerns and even have a shelf filled with nothing but western genre movies, but this one perplexed me. It almost felt like Crowe didn't want to be a 'bad guy' so he had his character written to somehow look good and virtuous, but his actions never supported any 'good side' to him. In reality he would have killed them all or the first time he had a chance to get away, he would have been long gone.

In one scene when they are running on the roof tops, Wade stops and asks Evans if he is sure he can make the jump from one building to the next. It was like they were buddies trying to get away from the bad guys shooting at them, and not one man a ruthless killer being taking to his death.

This was a strange one. Ever watch kids play, or remember back to when we all were kids? One would usually always end up as the 'bad guy' and they hated it. Sometimes it would turn into 'I'm the bad guy, but I really want to be the good guy so I'll pretend I'm good'. It had that sort of feel to me. Why, I really don't know. Crowe is a good actor and could play a bad guy without it hurting his image. I suspect he acted the way his character was written and how the director wanted him to act.

I liked the movie, but found some of the plot too implausable. Also when Fonda is shot at point blank range in the stomach, and then within 24 hours he's ridding a horse again... well I know his character was supposed to be a tough guy, but nobody is that tough. Even Clint had to hold up in and old mine for a few days after just being beaten and not even shot!

I would have liked this much better if Wade wasn't so 'likeable', or at least trying to be likeable. Like I said, there just felt like there was a whole story arc that was missing from this one.