10 More Movie Mistakes That Became Canon
7. The Idling Train - 3:10 to Yuma
It goes without saying that it's incredibly easy for things to go wrong when you're a big-budget film utilising props as complex as old locomotives, as director James Mangold found out first-hand when shooting his brilliant remake of classic Western 3:10 to Yuma.
In the movie's climax, the titular train pulls into town and a shootout ensues featuring most of the principal characters, all while the aforementioned vehicle continues to idly chug in the background.
But this wasn't the original plan - on the DVD commentary, Mangold confirmed that the weather was extremely cold while shooting the sequence, which presented a serious risk of the train's engine freezing up and refusing to start up again if they turned it off.
And so, Mangold had to keep the train running on the spot for the entirety of shooting to keep it warm.
And rather than digitally erase the steam at great cost in post-production, Mangold instead leaned into it, having his sound design team add in a hypnotic, heartbeat-like chugging sound of the train idling in the background, as underscores the entire set-piece.
Given that the film went on to receive a Best Sound Mixing Oscar nomination, it was clearly the right choice.