Affectionate, faithful, modern Western

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2015)

In the DVD extras, director James Mangold speaks warmly of the Western genre, its historic appeal and its contemporary relevance. I am not sure whether this production will win any new converts, but it will satisfy those, like myself, who are fond of both the genre, and the greats of the genre which have gone before.
A remake, the plot is simple, and in the telling does not stand up to close scrutiny. Yet when the good guy is small time rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) and the bad- ass bad guy Ben Wade is Russell Crowe that does not really matter. Shot on location, not on sound stage, the story has an epic sweep to it, the scenery and cinematography is magnificent. With the benefit of a big budget, the action sequences are impressive, and offer the sophistication of modern special effects.
Women are in short supply. They are either in the kitchen (Gretchen Mol), or in the bad guy's bed (Vinessa Shaw). Peter Fonda is wonderful in the supporting role of robbery victim, Ben Foster is a wide-eyed menace as baddie lieutenant.
At two hours, the story probably runs fifteen minutes too long, but the actors and scenery more than compensate for any lulls. Recommended to all aficionados of Westerns.