3:10 to Yuma

It's the name of the film and the train that is supposed to take outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to prison. That 3:10 deadline dangling over the film drives an ultra violent journey across Arizona.

Along the way, the writers squeeze every morality tale possible from the characters in a crucible of tension and violence. This is one film where the cliches did not bother me (e.g. Wade seducing the barmaid, people remain standing idle as props in town when guns are blazing all around). Even the violence did not disturb as it serves the cinematic purpose of driving the plot and forcing the characters to test their loyalty and morality amid Wild West anarchy.

Well-acted and even thrilling at times, this is a must-see. The roles are complicated (e.g. Charlie Prince's devotion to Wade borders on affection) and the production is top-notch. Bale and Crowe are simply outstanding as the leads.

Wade views people as animals (he says so!) to serve his selfish purposes and yet he has some compassion left in his rotten heart. He even has an artist's eye for pencil sketching. The ending cleverly plays on his view of humanity, too, but I won't spoil it.