3:10 to Yuma appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The film boasted mostly fine visuals.
Sharpness worked well. While the occasional wide shot betrayed a sliver of softness, the majority of material appeared accurate and concise.
No issues with moiré effects or jaggies occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. However, a smattering of small specks cropped up periodically – these didn’t dominate but they appeared on occasion.
In this Western setting, the series favored a fairly amber/orange palette – though on the dusty side of things. Within the stylistic constraints, the Blu-ray reproduced the colors in a favorable manner.
Blacks came across as deep and dense, while shadows – important in such a dark series – appeared smooth and well-developed. The movie usually offered pleasing picture quality.
In addition, the movie’s DTS X audio also satisfied. Downconverted to DTS-HD MA 7.1, music showed nice stereo presence, while effects added immersive material. The action sequences boasted fine use of the side and rear speakers, all of which brought us into the story well.
Audio quality seemed strong. Music was full and rich, while dialogue seemed natural and distinctive.
Effects offered clear elements with warm, tight lows. I liked the soundtrack for Yuma.
How did the 4K compare to the original Blu-ray? Audio showed a little more involvement and pep, while visuals tended to be a bit tighter and offered stronger colors.
However, the 4K also showed print flaws that didn’t materialize on the Blu-ray. These remained minor enough that I still preferred the 4K, but I found it a disappointment that they appeared.
Expect a broad array of extras here – most on the 4K but some only on the included Blu-ray copy - and these start with an audio commentary from director James Mangold. He provides a running, screen-specific look at the original film and its adaptation, cast and performances, influences, story and characters, sets and locations, cinematography, editing, music and related areas.
Mangold tends to provide good commentaries, and this one follows that trend. He covers a logical array of topics and does so in an informative, engaging manner during this worthwhile chat.
Seven Deleted Scenes fill a total of seven minutes, 55 seconds. These mostly expand some secondary characters and add a little exposition. Though not bad, they don’t really add much.
A mix of featurettes follow, and these launch with Destination: Yuma. It fills 20 minutes, 58 seconds with info from Mangold, producer Cathy Konrad, production designer Andrew Menzies, set decorator Jay R. Hart, writer Michael Brandt, director of photography Phedon Papamichel, key armorer Thell Reed, 2nd unit director/stunt coordinator Freddie Hice, special effects coordinator Ron Bolanowski, costume designer Arianne Phillips, and actors Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman, Luce Rains, Kevin Durand, Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda, Dallas Roberts and Ben Foster.
“Destination” looks at the adaptation of the prior film, sets and locations, stunts and action, costumes and period details. “Destination” repeats some info from the commentary and can feel a bit fluffy, but it still delivers enough substance to be worth a look.
During the 12-minute, 58-second Outlaws, Gangs and Posses, we hear from historians Dr. Roger McGrath, Will Bagley, Professor Richard W. Sadler, Ben Traywick and Don Taylor. As expected, “Gangs” looks at some of the history that informed the film’s fiction. It becomes an efficient little overview.
Next comes An Epic Explored, a six-minute, 22-second reel with Mangold, Foster, Bale and film writer Stuart Beattie. “Epic” examines aspects of the Western genre, and it becomes a quick but insightful take on the topic.
Music comes to the fore with 3:10 to Score. It spans seven minutes, 38 seconds and features Mangold and composer Marco Beltrami. We learn about aspects of the score and get a useful synopsis of those musical choices.
After this we move to the 19-minute, 39-second From Sea to Shining Sea. It boasts remarks from Sadler, Bagley, McGrath, Golden Spike National Historic Site’s Martin Soholt and historian W. Paul Reed. “Sea” brings us information about the 19th century expansion of the railroad and its impact. Once again, this becomes an informative program.
A Conversation with Elmore Leonard lasts five minutes, 24 seconds and offers the author’s thoughts on his original story He tells us a few nice notes about his work.
Finally, The Guns of Yuma goes for six minutes, 17 seconds and includes Mangold, Bale, Durand, Fonda, Crowe, actor Alan Tudyk and key armorer Thell Reed. As expected, this show details the weapons used in the film. It winds up as another useful show.
Two interactive programs ensue. A Historical Timeline of the West allows the viewer to trace aspects of 19th century history and see text details. It contributes solid background.
We also find Inside Yuma, a feature that runs alongside the movie. It offers two options: to see the film’s storyboards or its script.
Either one takes up a lot of real estate on the screen, which makes it more difficult to watch the movie as it progresses. Still, I like the ambition of “Inside”, as it can be fun to compare the boards and the script to the final product.
Perhaps not as effective as the 1957 version of the tale, 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma still offers an effective Western. It offers its own approach to the subject and creates an involving drama. The 4K UHD offers generally positive picture along with solid audio and a nice roster of supplements. This isn’t a great 4K but it becomes the better way to watch the movie.
To rate this film visit the prior review of 3:10 TO YUMA
