Director James Mangold recently wandered into western territory when he did the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. So it was no shock when it was announced that his next flick would be honest to God western.

3:10 is an excellent film that is respectful to the original, without being a note-for-note remake.

Christian Bale is a Civil War vet who currently lives, with his wife and two boys, on a small ranch in Arizona. Times are tough and Evans is struggling to hold onto said ranch so when word comes that $200 is being offered to anyone that will help transport outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to a nearby town and put him on a train, he jumps at the opportunity.

While there are some things about Crowe that bug me, I can’t deny he is an excellent actor. If Ben Wade is not pure evil, he is pretty damn close to it. . Bale delivers a solid performance here. Nothing flashy, but then the scenery chewing is clearly intended for the villainous ruffians that Bale is facing.

The supporting cast is excellent, with the side of good rounded out by Alan Tudyk (as a small town doctor) and Peter Fondo (a bounty hunter) and Ben Foster (Playing a grade A wack-job) heading up Wade’s crew.

There is a nice audio commentary by director James Mangold as well as some deleted scenes and your basic behind-the-scenes featurette.

3:10 is a delightful modern western and will be enjoyed by fans of the genre, as well as anyone looking for a shoot em up battle between good and bad.

Order 3:10 To Yuma from Amazon.

Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.