One great western!

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 2007)

I've always enjoyed the western genre and to a disappointment Hollywood has not made any westerns for several years. With the release of this movie, I just had to see it. And I have to say, this is a darn good one.
I was a bit surprised that Russell Crowe was the lead role (I never imagined him as a cowboy). But yet again, he delivers a grand performance as the captured outlaw Ben Wade. Christian Bale was another fabulous thespian in this film as the protagonist whose duty is take the outlaw (Crowe) to the 3:10 train that leads to Yuma. Bale's in another serious role like his previous ones for Batman Begins and The Prestige. But he seemed more believable and a bit more mature, particularly with having a beard and portraying a war battered character that only had one leg.
The other supporting cast members were also great, including Peter Fonda, Logan Lerman, and Ben Foster, who was a real hellion. The gunfights and chases were splendidly done and very long with defiant violence and a shaky camera, which pulled me deep, into the action sequences.
Despite the elongated action scenes, which indeed are long, when one goes away, the movie drags until a new one arrives. Other than that, I was satisfied with this western. It's a good shoot 'em up, bang up, with great actors, a good story, and a high body count! 9/10