3:10 to Yuma (2007)

When it's over, the western genre is not dead.  Based on the original 1957 version, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe fill the boots of Van Heflin and Glenn Ford.  Bale and Crowe are well casted and make worthy  adversaries. The scenes between the two rivals are some of the film's best as they tease, taunt, and reveal their true colors.  Bale breathes life into Dan Evans, a crippled rancher desperate to keep his land from falling into the hands of wealthy railroad tycoons. When notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) is caught, Evans is offered enough money to pay his debts if he helps deliver Wade to the town of Contention. What I like most about this film is how the main characters come full circle, how Evans regains his manhood and how Wade demonstrates some good in his complete evilness.  This is a road trip film, where a lot can happen between point A and point B, where the shift between good guy bad guy becomes clouded. The side story between father and son (Logan Lerman) helps to reinforce Evans's need to prove his self-worth, while providing a son's coming of age story. I have seen Lerman in various rolls through the years, and feel his portrayal as William, the son, to be his best to date. 

My rating: 4 out of 5