3:10 To YumaIn the film noir western 3:10 To Yuma, an intense psychic struggle goes on between the characters Ben Wade and Dan Evans, played respectively (and brilliantly) by Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. Made in 1957 and based on a book by Elmore Leanord, this story is also being remade as a film in 2008 with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. 
Back to the original: never has Glenn Ford been so seductively evil as Ben, the leader of a gang, in his quiet, sadistic torment of nice guy Dan. And never has Van Heflin been so perfectly noirish in his portrayal of a family man torn between doing the right thing (which could jeapordize his family's future), or doing the wrong thing (which could save his family).
Glenn/Ben is handcuffed but cool and casual on the bed in a hotel room in Yuma, waiting to be saved by his gang before the train comes, which Van/Dan hopes to put him on to send him to jail. Dan has him at gun point, yet he's the one who's sweating profusely as Ben tempts him to release him by offering him money which could save his family from ruin. Ben never wanted to be in this situation in the first place, preferring not to stick his neck out. There is a $200 reward for Ben's capture, which he desperately needs, but Ben offers him much more. The clock ticks as the train and the gang get closer and closer, while Dan's backup posse chicken out one by one. The interesting thing is that Ben and Dan are so much alike. Dark and light. Ben, who is quite the ladykiller, seems to have an envy which grows into respect for Dan's family life and values. Without giving away the ending, suffice it to say that through their unlikely bonding, the men exchange something on a much deeper level than just money or freedom.
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