大象传媒

A return journey on the 3:10 To Yuma is more than justified with two powerfully charismatic actors on board. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale easily outgun Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, stars of the original 1957 western, as an outlaw and the rancher who boldly steps up to send him to the big house. At the helm of this remake, James Mangold initially risks stalling the plot with too much backstory, but then it's edge-of-your-seat action all the way.

Flat broke cattle rancher Dan Evans (Bale) keeps his head low when faced with a hostile land grab, inviting the scorn of his son (Logan Lerman). It's one of the more obvious ploys by Mangold to probe deeper into the question of what makes a man. Of course when notorious robber Ben Wade (Crowe) rides into town with all guns blazing, it gets everyone's attention, not least Evans who, after Wade is arrested, offers to put him on the 3:10 To Yuma for $200 to feed his family.

"THE PERFORMANCES ARE ELECTRIC"

Even in the wide expanse of desert, claustrophobia builds to heart-pounding levels as Wade's gang hide in the hills determined to spring him from custody. But it's the quiet friction of two ostensibly different men and the curious kinship that develops - each one actually a little admiring of the other - that thickens the tension. The performances are electric. Bale keeps his jaw set firm yet sizzles with intensity, and Crowe switches from compassion to cruelty with just the glint of an eye. Because Mangold doesn't pull focus on Wade's bloodthirsty exploits, Crowe's depiction is also richer than Ford's. The gritty approach is occasionally undermined, however, by a few storybook flourishes, especially in the final shootout. That said it would take a heart as tough as old cowboy boots not to be moved when the clock ticks down to the time of departure.

3:10 To Yuma is out in the UK on 14th September 2007.