Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Logan Lerman, Gretchen Mol
Rating: R

Russell Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma. (Courtesy photo)

Some combinations of actors are irresistible. I’m not a great fan of Russell Crowe, but I am a fan of pitting him against Christian Bale. These two high-intensity actors get handed meaty roles in the new western 3:10 to Yuma, and they run with them. Yes, Bale is British and Crowe is Australian, but they fit right into this most American of genres. Director James Mangold has taken the second pass at Elmore Leonard’s short story (the first is a highly regarded 1957 B-movie starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin). In this austere but crackling update, Mangold and company do not attempt to reinvent the western. They are content merely to produce a very good genre picture.

Notorious Ben Wade (Crowe) and his gang of vicious outlaws rob a bank coach, killing nearly all and leaving longtime nemesis Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda) barely alive. The only witnesses to the robbery are rancher Dan Evans (Bale) and his two sons. Older son William (Logan Lerman) is fascinated by Wade. Here’s a man who does whatever he pleases and bends to no one—the complete opposite of William’s lame father. Dan is close to losing his ranch and knows how small he seems in the eyes of his wife Alice (Gretchen Mol) and the boys. When dumb luck lands Wade in the hands of the local police, Dan volunteers to join McElroy in escorting the outlaw to the prison train 70 miles away. It will be a two-day trip, and Wade’s nasty gang won’t be far behind. The trip is suicidal, but Dan can’t refuse the chance for the $200 it pays.

Movies like 3:10 to Yuma must be ever so carefully plotted. Even small holes in logic are somehow easy to spot on the open plains. If we can’t empathize with Dan’s decision, we won’t commit to the story. Later, when the two men start to understand each other, we need to believe that there is a possibility that each has it in him to change. It’s a tall order. The first two acts are lean and tight, building to the inevitable showdown. When we get there, Mangold and writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas do not cop out. They aspire to an ending that embraces the mythology of the old west. Whether or not they succeed is up to each viewer. 3:10 to Yuma harkens back to both High Noon and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The story is not resolved by the impossibly true aim of a gun, but by the evolution of two men. Mangold has made a number of good films—Copland, Identity, Walk the Line. But this is his most expertly paced and crafted work yet.

Russell Crowe got a role in his wheelhouse, and he hammers it. Crowe is chillingly effective as rascally Ben Wade, equally dignified and cold-blooded. His character looms so powerfully over the story, you can’t feel safe even when four rifles are trained on him. Crowe could have taken this part off the deep end, and brought the whole movie with him. His decisions are what ultimately make the story rise and fall, and Crowe calibrates his performance beautifully. Bale is, if possible, even better. Bale’s gimpy rancher is no hero in disguise. He simply contains just enough of the essential qualities to get him to the end of the journey. Bale is often slouched over, as if perpetually expecting the whip. But it also puts him in a fighter’s crouch, and fight is what Evans has more of than anyone could have guessed. Both actors are simply outstanding. The supporting cast is good too. Fonda plays the establishment man with an air of his old rebelliousness (McElroy is a Pinkerton man, but also a former mercenary). Dallas Roberts (Walk the Line) is appropriately brittle as Butterfield, the railroad man in charge of the convoy. The always-welcome Alan Tudyk (Knocked Up, Dodgeball) plays a veterinarian who is forced along in lieu of a proper physician. Kevin Durand (Wild Hogs) is memorable as the loose-cannon deputy who is dangerously thrilled by his role in this bit of history-making. The only misfire for me was Ben Foster as Wade’s psychotic right-hand gun, Charlie Prince. Foster plays Prince with the same soulless red eyes he brought to his psycho role in 2005’s Hostage. What was quite effective in that movie feels self-aware and pre-planned here. Too bad, because it is a great part. But it hardly lessens the film—you still hope to see Prince get his comeuppance.

The western is not a popular genre these days. Those films that perform well—Unforgiven, Open Range—are generally the exceptions proving the rule. 3:10 to Yuma is a very good film by any measure. As a western it is quite accessible, and it’s also not as violent as its R-rating would imply. Yet the movie did find a large audience this weekend. I hope word-of-mouth builds, because this movie deserves to be seen; three days later my mind still drifts back to it. And when you get two actors as volatile as Bale and Crowe together, they have the power to elevate the good into the great.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, California, and works for the Cartoon Network. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard residents for many years.