A Return to the Old West

Rating: 9/10 (9 September 2007)

When watching 3:10 to Yuma, it's hard to believe it all started with a short story by Elmore Leonard. This exceedingly well told story with it's rich characters and beautiful cinematography ranks right up there with some of the best Westerns in history: The Magnificent 7, A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.
Russell Crowe's Ben Wade and Christian Bale's Dan Evans seem like polar opposites when the movie opens, but as their story unfolds we find there is much more to these men than meets the eye.
The very best villains are ones you can love, and Wade is most certainly a charmer. His earnest face and smiling eyes belie the masterful mind working nonstop within. In Evans, he finds the perfect foil.
But I would be remiss if I didn't mention Ben Foster's portrayal or Charlie Prince. Loyal follower to Wade, Charlie is the type of guy who'd kill you with a smile and never lose a minute's sleep over it. Ben does an outstanding job of creating an intoxicating mixture of adoration, loyalty, viciousness and outright lunacy.
As if this weren't enough, there are several other characters represented outstandingly by some very talented folks: Logan Lerman's William Evans, and Kevin Durand's brief role as Tucker to name but a few. Everyone in this cast does an excellent job of bringing this story to life.
My only caveat would be the ending. You will either love it or hate it, but either way you won't be bored by it.