Solid Western morality tale

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2013)

"Unforgiven" it ain't, but "3:10 to Yuma" is as close to a modern Western classic as we've seen since. Crowe and Bale are completely convincing in their roles of rogue outlaw and the man who's determined to bring him in. Crowe gives great depth to the Ben Wade character, though his actions in the last half-hour are a bit of a stretch. Bale, likewise, captures the haunted, desperate Dan Evans brilliantly.
The audio commentary by director James Mangold is quite good. Director commentaries are a mixed bag -- many times the commentary is either bogged down in minutiae or lacking in objectivity -- but Mangold acknowledges his debt to the earlier film (50 years old at that point) and in general provides interesting details about the shooting process.