by Karyn L. Beach

Growing up, my father gave me an appreciation for the Western. On those Sundays that we didn’t go to church, we often watched old Westerns starring John Wayne or Gary Cooper. Plus, there were always reruns of shows like Wild, Wild West, Alias Smith and Jones and of course, The Big Valley and Bonanza (I had a little crush on Little Joe). Anyway, I can appreciate a good Western when I see one and 3:10 to Yuma is a good Western.

Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a one-legged Civil War veteran. He’s also a struggling rancher about to lose his home to a landlord who can sell it to the railroad company for more money that Evans will ever be able to come up with. He’s a disappointment to his 14-year old son William (Logan Lerman) who wishes his dad would take a strong stand against the strong arm tactics of the landlord (who burns down his stable at the beginning of the film). Even his wife (Gretchen Mol) doesn’t look at him the same way anymore. He’s a man with something to prove and no way to prove it.

Enter Ben Wade, a notorious stage coach robber and killer. Wade and his gang ambush a Pinkerton guarded stage coach and kill just about everyone there. Dan and his boys see the last killing; but Wade lets them live. Later, Wade is captured in a nearby town, the same town where Evans goes to make a last-ditch plea to save his ranch. His plea doesn’t work but another opportunity presents itself. A team of men is being assembled to escort Wade over to the town of Contention where he can catch the 3:10 to Yuma. Once in a Yuma prison, Wade will be hanged. For $200, Evans feels it’s worth the risk. But things get a lot riskier for the rancher when his son William joins the expedition.

Performance by Bale and Crowe made this movie. Bale’s honor and desperation propel him forward and he’s a strong foil for Crowe’s more cool and deadly gunslinger. While Evans’ conscience has often seemed to make his predicament even worse, Wade’s lack of a conscience has propelled him forward and made him a notorious legend. The two actors play well off of each other as their characters come to respect each other in the end.

But several other performances make 3:10 to Yuma so memorable. As William, the disillusioned son, Logan Lerman (who looks a little like a young Christian Slater) carries his own with the two actors. Ben Foster is a definite scene-stealer as Wade’s merciless and murderous right hand man, Charlie Prince.

Set in the beautiful Southwest and paced perfectly to countdown to the train’s arrival, 3:10 to Yuma is a good old-fashioned western that realizes that it’s more than gun-slinging and covered wagons that make a Western work. 3:10 to Yuma has those action scenes and set pieces but it also has heart and at the film’s heart are two compelling and richly drawn characters.

Don’t miss this train.