3:10 TO YUMA (2007)

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"'3:10 to Yuma' is ready to lead the charge for the rebirth of the Western genre."

'3:10 to Yuma' is ushering in a new wave of modern films set in the Old West, and has beat out upcoming titles like 'The Assassination of Jessie James' and 'No Country for Old Men,' two highly-anticipated Westerns, to be the first of the crop. And from the look of it, the best.

'3:10' is a remake of a '50s film about a poor but hardworking rancher named Dan Evans (Christian Bale) who is struggling to keep his land and business alive and trying to make enough money to support his wife and two children. Evans is getting swindled out of his land by a powerful and money-hungry government agency that wants to put a railroad line through his property. His rambunctious son William is doing everything he can to try to rebel against his father and to persuade him to keep what is rightfully his by any means necessary.

Enter Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), one of the most notorious outlaws and ruthless criminals in the country, who along with his fiercely loyal gang of miscreants, has become famous for robbing and murdering. Eventually Wade is caught by the U.S. Marshall (Dallas Roberts), and is due to be taken to get on the 3:10 train to Yuma Prison. Evans reluctantly agrees to guard Wade and ensure that he'll be put on the train on time.

What sets this film apart from every other Western, past and future, is the acting. Bale is spectacular as always, understatedly portraying the determined Evans and bringing to life his internal quest for dignity and salvation. Evans tries hard to fight temptation and is dedicated to the task at hand, no matter what the cost, all the while trying to maintain the fragile relationship between he and his son.

Crowe is equally impressive, and completely embodies the charming and swaggering Ben Wade, and successfully pulls off the difficult task of making the audience like him despite the fact that he's a killer. Crowe brings out Wade's human side when he forms an unlikely relationship with his protector and makes some surprising decisions throughout the course of the film.

Between the intense drama still stands a good ol' fashioned Western, not skimping on the shoot-em-up action, thrill of the hunt, and gang violence of which the genre has become known. And though the storyline of the film may not be very complex, the heart of the story lies in the intricate inner-workings of the characters, who are each struggling to do what they believe is right.

Without the two lead actors, one must wonder if the film would have had quite the same impact, but thankfully Bale invigorates any scene he's in, and Crowe shines throughout, both delivering Oscar-worthy performances in this well-presented period piece. '3:10 to Yuma' is ready to lead the charge for the rebirth of the Western genre.