3:10 to Yuma is a 2007 Western film directed by James Mangold. The film is a remake of the 1957 film directed by Delmer Daves. When discussing the western, we are identifying the system of conventions that define the genre. A film genre and a genre film are distinct. A genre exists as a contract between filmmakers and the audience, whereas a genre film is an actual event that honours this contract. These rules and conventions dictate and define the genre, with the focus not placed on individual films but with an established canon. Multiple films are required to establish a genre, and audience interest is essential. Genre is influenced by the audience and society, requiring a body of people to agree on a genre’s definition and what a genre…show more content… Changes in attitude and themes in the films were directly related to changes in American society. The “adult Western” replaced the idealized heroic western of John Ford. The audiences of early westerns were not looking for moral complexity. Instead, audience looked to have their own values replicated on the screen. What were important were action, violence, and clear-cut heroes and villains. As a modern remake, Mangold’s 3:10 to Yuma is an example of the adult western film. Moving towards adult entertainment, these modern westerns are intensely psychological and violent. Adult westerns concentrated on “psychological or moral conflicts of the individual protagonist in relation to his society, rather than creating the poetic archetypes of order.” Directors like Budd Boetticher “forged elemental and even allegorical dramas of ethical heroism in which men alone are forced to make moral choices in a moral vacuum.” These new westerns were influenced by Japanese samurai films which emphasised “honor, fatality, and violence.” Characters are recognizably human; tough but flawed. Unlike earlier westerns, 3:10 to Yuma is primarily an action film. Emphasis is placed on creating fast-paced and charged action sequences, including choreographed chase scenes, through intensive continuity editing. The adult western takes an old genre and integrates it with wide commercial…show more content… Within the genre film, complex problems are often broken down into basic elements. Placed in fantastical worlds, contemporary conflicts can be negotiated freely and unconventional solutions are posed without fear of failure or lasting consequences. In placing this narrative within the western setting, 3:10 to Yuma does not present any clear social or political commentary. Placing the film within a fantastical landscape allows issues of contemporary culture to be freely explored. The audience is free to see these issues free from their own loyalties and biases. Instead, they are forced to look at themes from a new perspective. In this sense, the western functions much like science fiction, creating fictional worlds and races to negotiate contemporary issues of race, gender, sexuality, and class, and pose solutions to society’s problems. In the western, characters are often treated as types and narrative revolve around a collection of essential plot points, offering various perspectives on fundamental social issues. The western goes beyond the conflict between good guys and bad guys. Some of the subjects explored in the western include race, law and order, and the fear of communism. In setting moral, social and cultural conflicts in the fantastical western world, people are allowed to consider all sides of modern dilemmas without needing to pick sides. The effect would not