Exceptional Western film

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2007)

Who says the Western is done as a genre? This is a terrific film. There's always some things in any film that make me roll my eyeballs and say "yeah, right", and this film was no exception. Like Peter Fonda's character taking a bullet in the belly then having it removed without anesthesia by a veterinarian without letting out hardly a grunt. Then he climbs back on his horse and rides all day. Nobody is *that* tough.
Nevertheless, the rest of this film is awesome. It's tough, gritty, and has no silly romantic sub-plots that would've served only to bore the audience. The dynamic between Ben Wade (RCrowe, bad guy) & Dan Evans (CBale, good guy) is terrific. The acting by the entire cast is tremendous. Particularly good is Ben Foster playing one of Ben Wade's henchmen. He's a psychopathic butcher and is very believable in his role as Charlie Prince. Best remake of an old film i've ever seen (I saw the original 1957 film with Glenn Ford & Van Heflin as a kid in the '60's). This version improves on the original by a quantum leap.
Don't miss this film.