3:10 to Yuma better than the original

Don't you love it when you go into a movie with mixed feelings not expecting much but you leave completely satisfied? I went to "3:10 to Yuma" pretty much because of my love of westerns and the two stars of the film, I didn't really think I was going into a great movie, but I left feeling that way. I've seen the original Glenn Ford film about a farmer who must take a criminal to meet up with a train while battling it out with his gang before. I found it to be a very enjoyable film full of great suspense in the "High Noon" vein, but I probably wouldn't rank it among the greats. It was the perfect film to be remade in this day and age, and the makers put in everything I love about westerns.

The film follows the same basic plot as the original but has added a few original points to make it even more stronger. Christian Bale plays the penniless farmer who decides to take famed bank robber Ben Wade (Russel Crowe) on the 3:10 train to Yuma for money. Bale has a few helping hands along with him but Wade's posse are obviously too professional for them. In the end taking Wade on the train becomes less about money and more about honor.

What I think made westerns so great was how the best ones were always about men who followed a certain code. Westerns usually became morality plays and the heros were usually the moral compass in the wild west. In the beginning of the film neither Bale or Crowe could be considered the heroes of the film they are thinking only of money but they both come to realize something bigger out of this experience and in the end they rise above a lot to come out as men you respect.

The original film lacked a plausible ending which I thought was its greatest flaw, this film fixes that and it turns it into a film about sacrifice that redeems both men. Bale and Crowe are two of our strongest leading men and anyone who thinks there aren't any good action stars around today should take a look at their performances, they play off eachother so well and even though they are on separate sides of the law, they form a close bond.

It's refreshing to state that I think "3:10 to Yuma" is a great action film and probably better than all those special effect summer movies put together. It's also a character piece and the actors really make this one work so well. It's a great jump start to the fall season, I just hope all the movies are as this interesting and entertaining at the same time.