(One of) The best (Modern) Western Films

Rating: 7/10 (25 June 2016)

Going into watching this film my association with the western genre had been made up of the classics like 'Butch Cassidy..' and 'The Good, the Bad...' which for their time were masterpieces.3:10 is not perfect but is still a great film, the film made me relate to Red Dead Redemption (Video Game) with its plot centered around redemption.The plot is centered around the transport of the outlaw Ben Wade (Crow) to a train to take him to prison, escorted by a rancher ultimately wanting to prove to himself and others his manhood. Christian Bale and Russel Crow deliver great performances portraying both side of the law and kept me divided throughout on who i'm supporting, for the genre their performances were great but not memorable as I never saw them as their characters but instead Bale and Crow.As a film I identified it as a modern western as there is a personally obvious difference and with this film if you have only been exposed to newer films of the genre you are left satisfied. But for those who have seen the classics you are left feeling like the film was fighting to be in the same category as 'The Good...' but tried so hard that it forgot the most important feature of a western. The Environment. The scenery was lacking throughout and the long shots that the genre is known for were barely noticeable making it feel more of a road trip movie than a western. But I could forgive all of that as long as the ending would satisfy me, not to spoil anything lets just say its ambiguous. Overall as a Modern western film 3:10 left me satisfied with its objective of presenting the west of the 19th century with a plot carried by great performances. But overall left me feeling nostalgic for the films of Eastwood. 7/10