From the moment the movie opens to the ending credits, Director James Mangold ("Walk the Line") gives the viewers action in an unexpected way.

The movie opens within the house of farmer Dan Evans (Christian Bale) and gets right into motion as we watch Evans barn being burnt to the ground. We also find out that Evans is missing a leg. The next day as he  and his two sons are looking for his wandering cattle they encounter outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his gang. They had just murdered the Pinkerton guards and were robbing the Southern Pacific Railroads payroll coach.

The only Pinkerton guard to survive is Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), who knows Wade very well. Wade in turn shoots him in the stomach.

After being spotted by Wade and his gang, who proceed to take their three horses, Evans and his two sons walk down to the wreckage and begin to drag the wounded McElroy to the town of Bisbee, Arizona.

In town, while Wade is enjoying the pleasures of the saloon, Evans enters and proceeds to detain Wade as the sheriff surrounds the building. Wade has been captured.

Wade is caught and now the real plot of the story begins. A slight detour is made to go back and see Evans` wife so that he can explain why he willingly volunteered to escort Wade to Contention.

If you like to watch Wade flirt with Evans wife then it is an important scene but otherwise it feels slightly useless. If only to explain how the hired escorts were going to deter Wade`s crew of murderous tyrants by switching Wade with a slightly ignorant cowboy.

Wade now has an appointment with the 3:10 to Yuma which happens to be a three day trip to Contention. Railroad representative Grayson Butterfield (Dallas Roberts), Tucker (Kevin Durand), Byron McElroy, and Doc Potter (Alan Tudyk) will be joining Evans on the journey. What they must realize now is that Wades gang is right on their tails and out for blood.

Russell Crowe delivers another great performance, though some may consider Wade too soft, he is also seen as intelligent, conniving and masterful. Throughout the movie viewers get to see Wade`s his true colors and reveals that he's really not as bad as he wants people to think.

Christian Bale also gives a good performance, a bit too troubled, but an overall good part. He played off of Russell Crowe's character in a ying and yang sort of way. Giving and taking, both men had good and bad qualities in their characters, but eventually came out on top.

The character who had the most telling and odd part would be Charlie Prince (Ben Foster). While the part is slightly over needy, it shows the audience the loyalty that Prince has for his leader. Wade could almost be seen as a father figure to him in the same way that William Evans (Logan Lerman) is with his father Dan Evans.

Foster shows in his part the lengths some one will go to save the one stable thing in their life. In Charlie's case it would have to be Wade.

Many people may not know that "3:10 to Yuma" is actually a remake of a movie which was made in 1957. Both versions used Halsted Welles screenplay except the first version was only ninety-two minutes long while the 2007 version is a little less than two hours. Wade was played by Glenn Ford and Dan Evans was played by Van Heflin. The first movie was nominated in the British Academy of Film and Television Awards, best film from any source. In the Laurel Awards the movie got second place for Top Action Drama and was nominated for Top Male Action Star Van Heflin.

In the end "3:10 to Yuma" shows the good and bad in everyone. Revealing the need of a farmer to prove to his son that he could finish through and Ben Wade....Well you'll just have to watch to see what his fate is.

Grade: B+