``3:10 to Yuma'' A thick human drama with a mythic quality, guided by the Western drama format.

What the original version gave the young director

"3:10 to Yuma" is a remake of the 1957 black-and-white film " 3:10 to Yuma " (directed by Delmer Daves). It is based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, known for crime dramas such as " Jackie Brown " (1997) and " Out of Sight " (1998). He is said to have written the wildly popular westerns of the time as a way to earn some extra cash in the 1950s, when he was just starting out as a novelist.

It is often said that one movie can change a person's life, and for director James Mangold, the original version was exactly that. He watched and studied this movie many times, and became engrossed in the fun of western movies, while also learning deeply about "the nature of images" and "how to put together a structure."

Because it was such a sentimental work, when I found out that Sony owned the rights, I was overcome with the desire to remake it myself.

“3:10 to Yuma” (c) Photofest / Getty Images

However, various production obstacles stood in the way. Initially, there were various casting plans, such as Tom Cruise playing the villain or Eric Bana, but negotiations did not progress. Years passed in vain, and even after the critically acclaimed Walk the Line (2005) and the two big actors Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were officially cast in the lead roles, it was still difficult to raise funds.

After that, the film finally started to move towards production, but it seems that Mangold and his partner at the time, producer Cathy Conrad, were financing the project themselves until halfway through. It is clear that the reason why those around him were reluctant to invest was because of their rigid views of what a "Western" is. Director Mangold even felt pressured, thinking, "If this fails, I could be the one to put an end to the Western genre."

A human drama that is completely upgraded from the original version.