why did Ben Wade kill Charlie?
Why did Ben Wade shot his own gang? I can't figure out what was their mistake.
shareBen Wade's character arc is as subtle as it is massive. From misguided killer to avenging angel.
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MovieChat Forums > 3:10 to Yuma (2007) Discussion > why did Ben Wade kill Charlie?
I thought it was kind of obvious why Charlie had to die.
Dan earned Wade's respect through his integrity; up until then, Wade's only experience had been with obnoxious, sanctimonious cowards. But not only did Dan refuse a huge amount of money to let him go, he insisted on fulfilling his promise even knowing it was likely he would get killed. It wasn't about Wade going to prison in Wade's mind so much as it was respect for a man who had actual convictions and lived by a moral code. He was doing it to redeem himself after the war, and to set an example for his son.
Therefore, Charlie shooting Dan right at the last second, when Wade was already on the train, was in his mind the ultimate act of cowardice; he killed not a common coward like all the rest, but a truly GOOD man. Therefore, he had to die; he and the others had to pay for the sin of murdering a good man, and in honor of Dan, Wade got back on the train and went to prison. He'll escape, of course, in short order, but in my opinion it wasn't about maintaining control of his gang -- it was about his respect for Dan.
I thought it was fairly obvious that he did it out of respect for Dan, and out of contempt for Charlie. He respected Dan because he was a good man, and obviously was willing to do whatever necessary to see that the job was done. Even the most villainous of men are capable of having respect for others.
Wade, as I said, had contempt for Charlie because he was pretty much a mindless slave. Not to mention, there was definitely a chance that his gang would have had it in for him after the events transpired.
Plus, I like to think that with his respect for Dan, he also developed sort of a friendship with him. Therefore, his death being avenged was probably the most sensible thing at that moment. Probably the best thing he could have done under the circumstances
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i agree with the majority here. In that i believe the reason Wade killed his gang is down to the fact he sees them as animals, he doesnt care about them in any sense of the word. However he respects Dan. I think Wade sees himself as being above everyone, hes a better person than The Pinkerton, the Railroad etc. he doesnt see himself as a murderous animal, like his gang. However he cannot see anything better in him than in Dan. If you follow me? Wade sees Evans as the man he wants to be, honest, loyal, righteous, brave. Dan is to Wade, everything good in the world and to see this Good man murdered in cold blood by a violent cold animal he hates it, so he kills Charlie and the rest, essentially he doesnt want evil to triumph over a genuinely good man.
Keep the change ya filthy animal!
Language, that was a great post.
http://thinkingoutloud-descartes.blogspot.com/
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I think there is one thing that is said in the film no one here has posted about so I shall try and make it a point.
Wade and Byron's conversation about the Apache.
Wade criticized Byron and his men for the killing of Apache women and children. He makes it a clear point that Byron's God must have contempt for the Apache hence why Byron let them get murdered and tossed into a massive grave, some of them still alive and screaming in the grave itself.
A point is made here; Wade has his own personal morality that cannot be crossed.
Charlie and the gangs killing of Evans in Wades eyes crossed the moral point. Evans was as innocent as the Apache children. Wade could not let the gang live, otherwise he be as guilty as Byron, a man he held in contempt.
Along with a post before about his respect of Evans being the only man with intregrity he had even more reason to do so. I think in a way Evans was the father Wade wish he had had as a child. Wade was unwilling to let that ideal go. It was transformative.
In the end I think we are left with a two way street, Wade continuing on as he had before or him turning to a new path of righteousness. But one thing is certain, he would never be the same.
Because the homosexual has to be punished for crushing on the straight man. He might turn him to the dark side! :/
That's how I saw it anyway. In the original film he gets shot by Evan. But did you see in this film the gay subtext with Charlie prince? He obviously felt a deep loyalty towards Wade, and perhaps a lot more.
It's like what this person wrote "As Wade watches Prince die, I couldn’t shake the feeling that thanks to the influence of Evans, he now sees Prince clearly for the first time. It is only then that he understands what friendship between two men should be like and it doesn’t involve what Prince yearned for. He may have been an outlaw and a murderer, but make no mistake – that isn’t the reason Prince has to die at the end of the film."
BUT then I also agree with this persons comment
-------------Prince thought he was doing the right thing by the man who he worshipped and saving his father figure from certain death. That isn't gay, or straight, or bisexual -- it is the crux of a western. Here you have a classic tale of a man who thinks he is doing right by his father (or father figure) only to realize too late that the father has changed his mind.
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Ehhh I wrote something else about this on another question, where I didn't totally agree with the gay thing, and expanded what I was going on about. I can't remember where it is though, I can hardly remember this movie. lol.
this answer was my "i can't be bothered writing much" so here you go answer. So ummm just letting you know, I agree with what your saying. Don't take what I said too seriously, it's a stupid answer, I think I wrote it after reading an article about this movie/homosexuality.
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No matter how you look at it, Charlie is a liability. He wouldn't listen to Ben tell him not to shoot Dan. He is a psycho. I think Ben wanted out of leading these guys as well.
"Mr Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news at once."
Belva0308 is right.
I think many of the posts here tend to over-analyze Wade's actions and/or intentions. I think to live a perpetual life of crime one must be willing to abdicate any concrete adherent sense of morality or rationality, at least when understood from the POV of other characters in the film.
Meaning, to be a veteran criminal, your goals must constantly adapt to the given circumstances, considering your reign of terror can end simply by the actions of other forces [order/chaos/nature]. To be rational is as confining as any prison cell.
I think this way of life manifested itself brilliantly in this scene. Charlie didn't listen and he paid the consequences. Who cares about morals and rationality or our history of loyalty together? No honor among thieves, you *beep* around with me and you get shot. That's the life of a criminal like Ben Wade. Simple as that.
K
Yeah man he killed charlie =( because charlie killed Dan..... benn wade was just abit of a maniac in this movie and enjoyed drama etc..... wanted to help dan maybe
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Dan earned Wade's respect. Plus he told Charlie not to shoot him.
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