3:10 TO YUMA, Classic Western Given Its Due by the Criterion Collection

The Criterion Collection is home to its fair share of classic Westerns, including the diverse likes of The Furies, Buck and the Preacher, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Another gem of the genre has now joined the Criterion family, meaning it's time to saddle up and take a look at the new 4K UHD of 3:10 to Yuma.

A wanted murderer named Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) has been captured with plans to ship him off to a jail in Yuma, Arizona, but there's a hitch. His gang is still in the area, and it's been made very clear that they plan on freeing him before the train arrives. Local law enforcement wavers in both character and duty, but a local farmer named Dan Evans (Van Heflin) steps up to deliver Wade to the train on time. He's doing it for a promised fee, but just as important is the hope that his family will be proud.

Director Delmer Daves was a pretty straightforward filmmaker, so 3:10 to Yuma isn't necessarily a showy standout for the Western genre, but it's striking enough in its simplicity. Guns are fired and fists are thrown, but the bulk of the film's action is reserved for the third act as the slow burn buildup to the train's arrival finally erupts. This makes it something of a character piece of sorts, interspersed with violence, as the two men -- moral opposites, but closer in spirit than we're initially led to believe -- converse while waiting for ten past three.

Both leads do good work, something made easier by the smarts of Elmore Leonard's original story -- this was actually the first screen adaptation from Leonard's writing. Heflin plays the mild-mannered farmer with a hint of shame at the knowledge that his son thinks he's a coward, and you can see the emotional struggle he's enduring to combat that shame. It's Ford who shines, though, as a gunslinger with a code of honor that might just trump his villainy. He's charismatic and charming, but he's still cold-blooded when necessary, and he's an interesting counter to a good man.

James Mangold's 2007 remake is fairly faithful aside from a major change to the ending that thinks it's doing something memorable when it's actually just dumb. (Leonard agrees, as evidenced in the interview included on the disc.) Here we're given a more satisfying and arguably logical conclusion that champions honor and integrity over all else. It's an effective resolution, capping off a thrilling third act.

Criterion's new 4K UHD is an upgrade from a previous release, and while the included Blu-ray is basically just the same disc, the new UHD shows some visible improvements. They're not major ones, necessarily, but folks (especially those with large televisions) will appreciate the added depth and details. The special features are ported from that earlier release and include the following.

- An interview with author Elmore Leonard from 2013 [13:01]
- An interview with Peter Ford, the son of actor Glenn Ford, from 2013 [15:04]

There's a lot of talk these days about human consciousness, mostly centered around the idea that it's fairly unexplainable. It's not a new topic of discussion, either, as evidenced by 1980's Altered States. The film, based on Paddy Chayefsky's book, uses the topic as a jumping off point for a still terrific slice of sci-fi/horror.

Professor Edward Jessup (William Hurt) is exploring human consciousness with his students and alone in his lab. He believes it's a tangible thing, something shared across people and time, and he's hoping to prove it with his research. Edward succeeds, and soon both his mind and his body are experiencing changes -- surprising, shocking, and terrifying changes.

Director Ken Russell's Altered States was a troubled production, but the end result is an engaging genre-bender that captivates with its ideas and performances before electrifying your brain with the consequences. Alternately fascinating, weird, and scary, the film succeeds at exploring fresh ideas with horrifying results. That it's also a love story and a nod to humankind's insatiable curiosity are just added plusses. Some may find its early acts dry, but those aren't serious people.

Hurt is terrific in his feature debut, and he does a great job showcasing his character's journey from a normal, intellectually curious guy to someone whose inner aggressions come violently to the surface. Trippy visuals and practical effects bring both the wonder and the horrors to life, and it ends on a fairly exhilarating and dramatic note. The fact that it inspired an all-timer music video from A-ha is just icing on the cake.

Criterion's new release features a 4K restoration with Dolby Vision and HDR, and it's a very clear upgrade from previously available discs. Optical effects will always stand out, but the film as a whole sees an improvement in detail, depth, and its pockets of darkness. The audio has received an update too via a new 2.0 surround DTS-HD, and it's also a winner. The release includes a trailer, a booklet, and the following special features.

- *NEW* Commentary by film historian Samm Deighan
- An interview with director Ken Russell from 1980 [25:52]
- An interview with actor William Hurt from 2009 [6:23]
- *NEW* An interview with special visual effects designer Bran Ferren [26:21]

Some films' importance moves beyond their actual quality as a movie, and that's most definitely the case with Howard Hughes' 1930 epic, Hell's Angels. It's a good movie, to be sure, but its value as one of the earliest sound epics and home to legitimate aerial footage makes it an integral part of film history.

Roy and Monte are brothers who leave college at the start of the first World War -- the last, as far as anyone here is concerned, on either side of the camera -- and enlist in the air force. Both have complicated love lives, but their real challenges come in the area of war and combat. Choices made under duress, cowardice, and confusion lead them into enemy hands, where their fates will be decided.

Produced over an extended period, the film cost a mint in dollars (and in three lives lost to the aerial stunts) before going on to become a massive hit with audiences. The flying scenes, stunts, and epic destruction still warrant a watch today as a showcase for the arguable birth of wartime airplane cinema. The story, most notably its third act, feels atypical by today's blockbuster standards, and that's a compliment. The characters and performances are ultimately the weakest elements here, but there's more than enough to make this a must-see for fans of action, spectacle, and cinema history.

The film's new restoration offers up the best it's ever looked. Grain remains, artifacts have been cleaned up, and details and darkness are now as strong as the original materials could allow. The special features provide insight into the film's visuals and lead female actor.

- *NEW* An interview with Robert Legato, visual effects supervisor on 2004's The Aviator [11:59]
- *NEW* An interview with film scholar Farran Smith Nehme on the rise and fall of Jean Harlow [27:07]
- Outtakes, with commentary by David Stenn, author of Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow [4:35]