A small-time rancher, Dan Evans (Christian Bale) agrees to hold a captured outlaw, Ben Wade (Russel Crowe) who’s awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher. (imdb.com)

If there is one film you should see this year, it is 3:10 to Yuma remarkably acted by Russell Crowe, Ben Foster and Christian Bale, wonderfully directed by James Mangold and perfectly written by Halsted Welles Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, based on the Elmore Leonard short story.

Though something about Crowe is a bit too cocky for my taste, he’s is a remarkable actor and was truly remarkable in this film. It’s easy enough to see Crowe as a gun slinger in the old west given his big and hairy stature, but his character never slipped into cliche John Wayne-like movements and speech. Crowe has a natural acting talent. Easily slipping into his characters like a form-fitting glove. His character was and needed to be believable, strong and unapologetic but relatable.

Christian Bale’s character on the other hand is somewhat pathetic but never crosses the line of painful to watch embarrassing like Orlando Bloom’s Paris in 2004’s Troy. That was a painful character, and painful acting to watch. Bale plays a father with a stump on one leg, who sort of bows down to authority figures rather than standing up for himself and his own. Bale’s also got a natural sense of the characters he portrays. Like so few actors, you forget you’re watching an actor act. You just see the character.

A nice surprise on the acting front is Ben Foster’s portrayal of Charlie Prince, Wade’s right hand in the outlaw outfit. Charlie is moody, deep, and full of hate but as loyal as an abandoned dog. His portrayal in X-Men: The Last Stand of a reluctant superhero with Angel wings was both subtle and memorable. His portrayal as a Renfield-like (Bram Stoker’s Dracula) character in the recent 30 Days of Night was such a complete change of depth of character. This boy has promise and depth.

So, everything else. The directing, cinematography, writing and casting were just too perfect. This movie is one of a handful that reminds me why I love to love film. Good times, smart writing, memorable characters, thought provoking story lines…. What more could you want?

• Directing: [rating:5/5]
• Acting: [rating:5/5]
• Casting: [rating:5/5]
• Cinematography: [rating:5/5]
• Writing: [rating:5/5]
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