3:10 to Yuma

***Spoiler Alert***

A remake from the original from 1957, 3:10 to Yuma is about a good a Western I've ever seen. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay the movie is that it is full of outstanding performances. Crowe was simply incredible as the bad guy, Ben Wade. His performance alone is worth the price of admission. But Christian Bale is also painfully effective as the down-trodden rancher trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his family. Peter Fonda you won't even recognize as the grizzled Pinkerton agent Byron McElroy. And Ben Foster turns in a scathing performance as Charlie Prince, Wades second lieutenant. With subtle shifts and facial expressions, he exuded confidence and menace; I was more scared of him than I was of Wade.

All these actors had great dialogue to work their craft and the story moved along at a great pace. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when the posse chases Wade into the side of a mountain being tunneled for the newly expanding railroad. It's the Western version of an action movie car chase, but it's done so well, I was cheering in my seat when it was over.

And the ending: it was brilliant. Dan Evans dies, Wade guns down his crew and faces off with Evan's son, and ultimately climbs back into the train car, presumably to turn himself in. In the last frames of the movie, as the train pulls out of the station and rounds a corner, Wade gives his trademark whistle and his nearby horse instantly gallops after. Wade preserves Evan's memorable achievement, but he's not so noble that he'll ride willingly to a hanging.

That moment when Wade and the son face each other down, I knew Evan's son didn't have it in him to shoot Wade. But when the son lowered his gun and turned back to his father and Wade just continued staring at him, I thought for sure Wade was going to shoot him. I'll bet good money he was thinking about it in those few seconds. He doesn't, for whatever reason. I just love that moment.