Remake Improved By Great Performances By Crowe And Bale

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2014)

3:10 to Yuma is a remake of the 1957 western film that stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale together with Peter Fonda and Gretchen Mol.It was the second adaptation of Elmore Leonard's short story of the title that tells a story about a desperado whose accomplices stage an ambush after he is taken into custody by a determined local sheriff.James Mangold directed the remake.
After watching the original film that stars Glenn Ford and Van Heflin,one will definitely notice that there is nothing new added to this remake as it stays true to the conventions and to the story.But what makes it great is the fact that the improvement of the characters and the performances of the cast made it worth watching.An extremely cocky desperado Ben Wade,portrayed excellently by Crowe and a nervous but gritty rancher Dan Evans,played magnificently by Bale made it worth watching.Despite the fact that western films aren't no longer the "thing" unlike in the 50's,the added complexities of the two main characters and the entertainment it provides made it worth watching.Credit also should be given to Mangold for his excellent direction as it had an interesting story and the themes on moral complexity was tackled upon effectively.It definitely was an update of Western film just like Unforgiven.