3:10 to Yuma

1.

A dark room in a small ranch house.

A desert wind blows in gusts.

WILLIAM EVANS (14), lies awake. Not a boy and not a man,

there’s a restlessness in his eyes. He lights a match,

watching it blow out in his fingers.

His brother, MARK (7), lies beside him, his breathing

labored, asthmatic. A medicine bottle and spoon sit on the

table beside a folded tearsheet for the ‘Colt Peacemaker’.

William stares at the engraving of a gunslinger, brandishing

the fancy weapon, a smile of confidence on his face.

Suddenly William turns, alert. There is a faint sound.

...a gate creak... a latch clink.

CUT TO:

2 IN ANOTHER DARK ROOM-- CONTINUOUS-

ALICE EVANS, 32, beautiful but care-worn, opens her eyes.

Groggy, she reaches reflexively for-

DAN EVANS, 36, her husband. But he isn’t against the pillow

where her hand expects him. He is upright on the edge of the

bed, tense, sweaty, eyes on a window as he LOADS HIS PISTOL.

ALICE:

Dan...

He signals silence. Alice holds her breath, listening to the

air... nothing... The clock on the dresser reads 3:45...

ALICE (CONT'D)

...maybe it’s the wind...

Dan shakes his head. He glances to WILLIAM, who arrives in

the bedroom door, in his longjohns, holding AN OLD RIFLE.

The snort of a horse outside. Men whisper. Hooves.

DAN BOLTS FROM THE BED, crossing to the window on one leg,

using the beamed roof for support. He pushes back the drape

with his pistol.

3

A HORSEMAN ENCIRCLES THE BARN OF THIS HOMESTEAD, UNHOOKING A

CORRAL, LETTING LOOSE A HERD OF CATTLE.

Then Dan notices-

ANOTHER HORSEMAN at the corner of the barn, LIGHTING A FIRE.

(CONTINUED)

3:
10 TO YUMA -TAN -1.23.07 2.

CONTINUED:

DAN:

No!-

4 EXT. EVANS RANCH-- CONTINUOUS

Wearing longjohns and boots, DAN BUSTS OUT THE DOOR, moving

toward the man fanning fire at the barn-

DAN:

No-- Please-- stop!-

A RIFLE BUTT SMASHES DAN’S HEAD. He tumbles off the porch to

the dirt, losing his gun, one boot coming off, revealing-

A MISSING LEFT FOOT.

William runs past Alice and Mark on the porch and his father

on the ground as-

THE BARN EXPLODES IN FLAMES. Dan jerks back on his rigged

boot, gets upright and lunges toward the barn.

THE FIRST HORSEMAN, bears down on him.

HORSEMAN (TUCKER)

-- You have a week, Evans. Then we

burn the house.

THE HORSEMEN RIDE AWAY AS WILLIAM ENTERS THE FLAMING BARN.

DAN:

William!

5 INT./EXT. BARN-- CONTINUOUS--

FLAMES LICK THE RAFTERS. SMOKE.

FOUR HORSES tied in stalls, crazy with fear.

William frees two of them, Dan untangles the others and leads

them out, grabbing equipment, tossing saddles out the door...

Then Dan notices WILLIAM HAS TURNED BACK INSIDE.

William struggles to drag A HUGE SACK OF FEED and some tools-We

see above him, the burning roof sags, flaming pieces of

wood raining-- it’s about to collapse-

DAN LEAPS AND GRABS HIS BOY and drags him toward the door,

fists swinging.

(CONTINUED)

3:
10 TO YUMA -TAN -1.23.07 3.

CONTINUED:

WILLIAM:

--Let go! It’s the last we got!

They fall to the ground as THE BARN COLLAPSES in a fiery

mass, sparks showering down. Alice and Mark run toward them.

DAN:

...You alright?

Will turns from his father to see- THE TWO HORSEMEN riding

away. Dawn light beginning to touch the sky.

WILLIAM LUNGES FOR THE REMINGTON on the ground---

but Dan is faster and puts his hand on the weapon.

DAN (CONT'D)

I’ll take care of this.

WILLIAM:

No you won’t. ...You don’t take

care of nothing.

Tears stand in William’s eyes.

Dan takes the gun and starts walking back toward the house.

He passes Alice and Mark, avoiding their eyes.

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