Just as Good as the Original

Rating: 7/10 (9 September 2007)

3:10 to Yuma is one of those few remakes that's on par with its original. A desperate, down on his luck rancher, Dan Evans, played by a very convincing Christian Bale volunteers to traverse a dangerous outlaw, Ben Wade,(Russell Crowe) to a train that will take Wade to a Yuma prison. Bale and Crowe are two of the best male actors today and they're excellent to watch on screen.
Major props should go to screenwriter Michael Brandt(2Fast 2Furious), for weaving a story that has added even more heart to an already excellent original. Ben Wade and Dan Evans aren't stereotypical good vs. evil characters. They're complex leads who have backgrounds that pave the way for the people they have become.
The story might get a little too compact in the middle with everything from Native Americans, Ben's gang, and tough train workers put in the story, but it's all made up for in the end where an exceptionally well directed climax is installed.
The Acting is superb, the action is top-notch, and the story is original. 3:10 to Yuma is a western that won't be soon forgotten.