The best film of 2007!

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2007)

It seems unlikely that someone could pinpoint what portion of a western makes it a classic. Is it the action? Is it the over the top performances of archetypical hero's and villains? The list may go on and on, but 3:10 to Yuma shows what makes a western, if not a classic, an entertaining and memorable film; a great morality play with great performances.
The films central characters turn out to be anything but archetypical. Dan Evans (played by Christian Bale) is a down on his luck rancher. Life is made all the more difficult with some locals who want him off his land so they can build a railroad. His wife and his children seem to be losing faith in him as a provider, husband, and father. On the other hand there is the notorious Ben Wade who is wanted for robbing stagecoaches and trains. Wade is caught under some unique circumstances and the people of the town decide they must send him on the next prisoner train to the Yuma prison. What follows is a journey that plays like a psychological battle between Wade and the group of men who want to bring him to justice.
Evans' circumstances make him someone who is more than willing to escort Wade to the town, for a price. Initially, it seems Evans is doing it purely for the money. But a closer look at his situation with his land and his family makes it seem like this is his last hurrah. The journey to bring a criminal to justice is his own personal attempt at redemption and proving something to his family and himself. Wade however, never shows any uneasiness at being caught and potentially being hung for his crimes. There are parts of the film where it seems that Wade is almost happy to have met Evans, since Wade's gang members are a bunch of merciless hoodlums.
I personally can't decide what the best part of the film was; the writing, the directing, or the stellar performances from Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Bale's performance was terrific but it's really Russell Crowe that stands out in this film. The Ben Wade character is someone who instinctively understands people and their nature. Wade is able to size someone up (accurately) at a glance. Crowe might not be built like the typical hero, or villain for that matter, but Crowe plays Wade with a hardened intensity that presents him as a tough criminal. On the other hand, there are more subtle portions of the performance where Crowe really shows that Wade is considerably more intelligent than anyone gives him credit for, and this is why he's been able to elude the authorities for this long.
This is the best of 2007. Go watch it now!