This Wild West Belongs to Christian Bale and Russell Crowe

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2007)

I went into "3:10 to Yuma" with fairly low expectations, given James Mangold's track record as a mediocre director and the fact that I'm not necessarily a fan of westerns. How pleasantly surprised I was, then, to find that this particular western is slick and supremely entertaining.
"3:10 to Yuma" has all the trappings of the traditional western -- outlaws, humble ranchers, gunslingers, salty old-timers, buxom saloon barmaids -- but Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, the outlaw and humble rancher, respectively, bring a contemporary sensibility to the material that feels integrated rather than incongruous. Bale's rancher, Dan Evans, is suffering from feelings of male inadequacy as a result of being on the brink of losing his farm to debt (he's already lost a leg to the Civil War). For two hundred dollars, he joins a group of upright townies who are escorting Ben Wade, vicious bad guy (Crowe), to the train that will take him to Yuma prison. But Wade's loyal band, led by Charlie Price (Ben Foster as the film's one weak link, giving a grating performance), won't let Wade go without a fight. Through clever writing and wonderful performances by Bale and Crowe, the two men almost become allies in making sure Wade gets to the train on time. Wade is so impressed with Evans' integrity, even though he doesn't understand it, that he almost wants to see Evans succeed, even if that means he himself goes to jail. It's really a fascinating relationship, and it's that element of the film that makes it more than just a standard genre exercise.
The last quarter of the film is a nailbiter; Mangold falls back on that old reliable convention that westerns practically invented, the real time show down, with clocks placed here and there keeping time for the audience, and he does it well.
The film belongs to Bale and Crowe, but there's strong acting throughout by the rest of the cast, notably Gretchen Mol in a few brief scenes as Evans' wife and Peter Fonda as the requisite crusty old-timer.
Grade: A