Surprisingly good mix of drama and action...

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2007)

I didn't go into this movie with much expectation because it is a Western after all, a genre that is practically dead in mainstream movies. I went with my uncle who is a huge western fan and does not care much for today's movies. But I came out surprised and so did he. The movie was much better than my expectations.
The characters were well cast. Christian Bale played a father you could relate to, a sympathetic character who is introspective and reveals what caused him to become what he is by the end of the film. Bale comes up with another good performance in what must string of good performances in the last few years. Russell Crowe plays the cool and suave bad guy character who has psychopathic tendencies. He also reveals some of what caused him to be what he is leading to the climax. The other supporting characters did good also. The character of Ben Foster did not stand out to me like mentioned in some early reviews. He seemed to have less parts than it was made out to be, but it was enjoyable. Peter Fonda had some good lines and such in the film but he also had too little of a part than was made out to be. The other characters like Butterfield and the oldest son of Evans did quite good in their parts.
The story was a little slow in some places, especially in the start. But once the plot of transporting Ben Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma started it was a good ride. The climax was somewhat unexpected and a good change from the norm. The movie showed that each person had some redemption from their previous misfortunes or actions. The cinematography was not extraordinary but was decent and did not interfere with the movie. The sound was very good, the gunshots, horses stomping etc.. were still ringing in my head after watching..
It was a well spent 9.50 I would say. This movie should win some awards for the coming year or at least be nominated.