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The Western genre, where have you been? One of the remaining voids in the film industry is the lack of high quality western movies that had once been prevalent in the 50s and 60s. I suppose that today's audience is not equipped, at least in the eyes of the Hollywood studios, to enjoy films of this type. Thankfully, a film like "3:10 to Yuma" comes along with some star power behind it to make the Western breathe again, if only for a fleeting moment.
Christian Bale and Russell Crowe headline the remake that took the number one spot at the box office in its opening weekend. While it didn't take in a huge haul, any time a film can claim the number 1 spot, it's a good thing for all parties involved. I'm not assuming that this will all of a sudden send Hollywood to the western plains to kick off similar productions, but it's still nice to see this happen for 'Yuma.'
With the lack of Westerns comes a missing piece in the world of soundtracks. Few genres have inspired greater themes than those created for the adventures in the wild west. Taking on the duties for "3:10 to Yuma" is Composer Marco Beltrami who has quietly made his way to many A-list projects in recent years. Seeing that there are not many movies of this particular sort made too often, this was a rare opportunity for any Composer and it was an assignment that Beltrami was ready to take on.
Beltrami strays away from typical conventions in creating the score for 'Yuma.' Since this is more of a darker style movie, perhaps in the vain of 'Unforgiven," the music couldn't afford to be bombastic or over the top. Instead, what Beltrami delivered is a score that is ominous and tense, providing appropriate statements where needed and using the guitars to great effect. What I especially enjoyed is the spanish/western flair that is heard during certain cues (tracks 8, 19, 20), providing moments that allow the music to rise up and make its claim. These are the types of musical selections that aren't heard too often in modern cinema, again, due to the genres that we are faced with.
In "3:10 to Yuma," the underscore is a key component to the success of the score. It provides a sense of mounting tension throughout, which allows for the climactic score statements to stand out that much more effectively. The last few tracks on the album are particularly rousing and make for some of the best music I've heard from Beltrami. When heard in the context of the film, the music enhances the scenes to even greater dramatic effect. When a score works effectively within the scope of the picture and also well on its own, it's a win-win situation and that's what we have with this soundtrack; you can enjoy it within or apart from the movie equally as much.
This is a soundtrack that I encourage all of you to take a listen to. It offers a modern example of how engaging western scores could be in this era and makes me want more of it. It's a score that has rhythm, suspense and climactic moments, all with a western flair, making "3:10 to Yuma" a pleasant surprise.
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