DVD Review: 3:10 to Yuma

The western is one of the toughest film genres around – just when you think it's dead, it returns with a vengeance. 2007 saw the release of three highly praised westerns – The Assassination Of Jesse James, Seraphim Falls and this week's DVD pick, 3:10 To Yuma.

This is a remake of the 1957 Glenn Ford classic, and stars Christian Bale as a simple farmer who takes the job of escorting notorious villain Russell Crowe to a railway station to await the train of the title.

While Jesse James and Seraphim Falls were slow, dark, arty westerns, 3:10 To Yuma is cast in a more traditional mould. There's a clear-cut good guy and bad guy, a pretty wife who begs her man not to take the job, lots of grizzled men spitting in the dirt and a big climactic gun fight.

The term 'solidly entertaining' could have been made for this film, but Walk The Line director James Mangold packages the whole thing together in rousing style.

3:10 To Yuma's greatest strength lies in its performances. It's nice to see Christian Bale play an uncomplicated good guy for once – he leaves his unusual levels of troubled angst in his Batsuit and plays a man whose only desire is to feed his family and win the respect of his son. And Russell Crowe has no trouble playing a domineering, overly aggressive thug. In one scene he stabs a man to death with a fork, and rumour has it there's a deleted scene in which he beats a hotel porter to death with a telephone.

However, the most startling performance comes from upcoming star Ben Foster, who between this film and vampire hit 30 Days of Night seems to be mining a nice line in psychotic sleazeballs.

Fans of the genre will find much to enjoy here – 3:10 To Yuma is no classic, but does exactly what a good western needs to do.