3:10 TO YUMA has the classic western scenario.  Quiet rancher who holds a secret, Dan Evans (Christian Bale) agrees to escort notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) board the 3:10 prison train to Yuma for the $200 he needs to save his family ranch.  Word has got out to Wade’s gang led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster).  But more is at stake than the money.  Dan prepares for a showdown in Contention City with the gang.

The remake of the 1957 western starring Glenn Ford contains quite the few updates in the plot.  The female role of Dan’s wife, Alice (Gretchen Mol) is reduced.  Dan’s elder son, William (Logan Lerman) takes over, riding without permission from the ranch to help his dad and eventually bringing the film to effective closure.  While the main changes mainly enhances the credibility of the plot, it is odd that the climax still poses a problem.  Near the end, William extols Wade’s good points only to be rebuked and explained (by Wade) that was he had done is still purely evil and for his self.  Thus when Wade undergoes the sudden change of heart after running the gauntlet, the viewer is forced to examine the man’s actions.  The fact that Wade could very easily have run off instead of remaining Dan’s prisoner is another plot flaw.

But all flaws aside, 3:10 TO YUMA still succeeds as an action flick guised as a western.  The dialogue is often sharp, creating a sense of audience anticipation.  When told that their house will be burned down in a week, Dan’s words of “I will take care of this,” rings true and remains remembered as both a promise to his wife and a threat to the villains.  “Have a little faith in me,” he tells Alice as well.  Best is the smart use of words as the villainous Wade gains sudden respect and admiration from both Alice and son as Dan, unable to do anything, looks on.  The build-up usage of the discontent son who moves from disrespectful to protective to admirable works well as a simple subplot of ambiguous loyalties.

Christian Bale is always good but it is Russell Crowe who steals the show, looking more attractive in his recklessness.  Peter Fonda delivers a welcome supporting role as the Bible reading Byron McElroy, not a really bad man but one who still deserves to get his body dumped in a ditch.

3:10 contains scenes of pigtailed Chinamen working (and later scurrying around from explosions) the railroad.  Though a period piece allows the filmmakers a bit of leeway with regard to racism, the filmmakers appear to take delight in the freedom.  “The negroes are more hardworking and will replace the Chinamen”, is a funny though uncalled comment made by a character during the film.

Director James Mangold (WALK THE LINE, GIRL INTERRUPTED, KATE AND LEOPOLD), who to me is best remembered as the director of a modern western, COP LAND (with Sylvester Stallone as the manipulated cop policing other dirty cops and forced to take a stand) does fine work building up the angst in 3:10 TO YUMA.  Too bad, the implausibility of the film’s clichéd climax eventually weighs down the otherwise solid western.