Re: 3:10 To Yuma
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As far as plausibility goes, I see no reason for it. Some of my favorite movies (The Big Sleep as it was originally released, and Once Upon a time in the West, to name two) make no sense whatsoever.
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I first saw Once Upon a time in the West around last Christmas with an old friend who has it on DVD. What a great flick; I especially loved the opening scene - Nothing like a gang of thugs to brighten up an otherwise dull day. Which reminds me that the timelessness of the Western is tied to thuggery, power, and avarice. I wrote an ode to Vladimir Putin, my present-day favorite thug, in the Politics forum months ago. Many took umbrage; Why was a real mystery to me.
-Zeno
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Now that you mention it, thugs may be the entire basis for Westerns. I can't think of a Western where the primary thrill isn't watching the thugs get their just deserts in the end. (Once Upon a time in the West is, of course, an exception. The primary thrill in watching Once Upon a time in the West is looking at Claudia Cardinale, but I digress (I'll come back to Claudia in a couple of sentences).) Anyway, its all a morality play about thugs.
Sometimes the thugs represent the establishment and get offed by the outlaws (Wild Bunch, McCabe and Mrs. Miller). Sometimes the thugs are outlaws and get offed by the establishment (High Noon).
The big question about Once Upon a time in the West is whether Henry Fonda got his just deserts. Sure, he was killed by Death Wish, but he got to bang Claudia Cardinale for God's Sake! It's hard to believe that he didn't get the best of it.
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