Release Info:
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 1993
DVD Release Date: April 27, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.99

I saw Tombstone when it came out. That was when I was 12 years old. I hadn’t seen the movie since then, so 17 years later I had a very foggy recollection of the movie. I knew that I had liked it, but that is about it. It turns out that Tombstone gets better with age. This movie is great. As plagued as it was with problems, Kurt Russell did a nice job of holding the cast together and turning the movie into something worth watching. Without his guidance and direction this film probably would not have been completed.

I love movies about real life, interesting people. I also like when movies try to stick to the story as much as possible. Sure, Tombstone takes liberties, but the big events of the movie really did happen. Legend/Lore about what was said in pivotal moments during the events that occur in this movie are placed into the dialogue. While it would be nearly impossible to verify the validity of such things (since they happened many years ago and there were no video cameras or camera phones readily available), it is pretty neat that they were integrated into the movie anyway.

The acting in Tombstone is excellent. The cast is made up of so many amazing actors. This is truly an all-star cast. Kurt Russell leads this cast as Wyatt Earp. Russell also did a lot of the directing for the film because the original director quit and he was afraid the cast would disband, ending the chance to make the movie. Wyatt’s brothers, Virgil and Morgan are played by Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton, while Doc Holliday is played by Val Kilmer. These actors are superb at their craft and they have great chemistry with one another. Kilmer gave a breakout performance that won him many accolades, which were rightly deserved.

Wyatt’s two love interests are played by Dana Delany and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. Wheeler-Nicholson looked very familiar to me, and I realized she was Chevy Chase’s love interest in Fletch. Delany is good in most of the roles I’ve seen her in. Adding in supporting roles by Billy Bob Thorton, Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, Thomas Haden Church, Billy Zane, John Corbett, Terry O’Quinn and many other familiar actors just adds the icing on the cake of this magnificent film. The plot and story are well written. Dialogue flows smoothly. The directing is fantastic. The movie is full of engaging action sequences that add spice to the already cool plot. All the elements that make a film come together are present in Tombstone. I didn’t remember what I was missing out on by not owning this before.

The Tombstone Plot
Wyatt Earp (Russell) has decided to retire. By now he’s a living legend. Earp and his brothers, Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) decide to head from Tucson, Arizona to Tombstone. The town is not very big, but it has the potential to grow. Their hope is to settle down, have families and make money, preferably with their own business. In Tombstone, the brothers meet up with Wyatt’s longtime buddy, Doc Holliday (val Kilmer). He is now suffering from tuberculosis, so he is hoping the chance of scenery will do his health some good. The brothers also have wives, with whom they wish to settle down. Wyatt’s common law wife is Mattie Blaylock (Wheeler-Nicholson), and while she is as pretty as a peach, she also quickly grows addicted to opium (laudanum), which puts a strain on their relationship.

Tombstone seems like the perfect place for the brothers, but the town also has to deal with a group of men known as the Cowboys. The Cowboys do what they want and believe they are above the law. The red sashed Cowboys tempt Wyatt to handle the problem, but he insists that he is retired and his days of maintaining the peace and enacting justice are over. In the meantime, Doc and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn), a fast gunslinger have a tete a tete with neither one particularly caring for the other.

Wyatt is enchanted by the arrival of Josephine Marcus (Delany) and her companion Mr. Fabian (Zane). The two arrive in Tombstone with a travelling theatre troupe. While there, the troupe performs for an often reckless crowd. Josephine and Wyatt feel an instant attraction and Mr. Fabian has an admirer of his own. This adds more strain on Wyatt’s common law marriage and Mattie grows further addicted and dependent on her drugs.

With the Cowboys causing chaos in and around the town, Wyatt and his brothers are pressured by the town Marshal Fred White (Carey, Jr.) to take care of the problem. When the attacks become much more personal in nature, the Earps and Doc Holliday have no choice but to show these dirty outlaws why they are the best lawmakers in the West. With plenty of gunslinging action, things are bound to get ugly.

Storyline/Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
I love the movie Tombstone, so I was hoping for a truly awesome presentation in terms of audio and visual qualities. I ended up being slightly disappointed due to an inconsistent picture. Despite Tombstone not being new, there still could have been ways to clean up a picture that looks gorgeous one minute and substandard the next. The biggest issues deal with things like black levels, coloring of skin tones, and occasional softness. I also noticed rare occurrences of edge enhancement and noise. Now that we’ve discussed the bad parts, the main coloring is nothing to complain about and the detail is usually on the mark. I think that’s what makes the overall quality a letdown. With a number of gorgeous shots throughour this film, you cannot help but want to see this quality throughout the entire movie. Unfortunately, you don’t. In the end, it’s an acceptable/watchable presentation, but by no means perfect.

While the video tends to leave something to be desired, the audio shines in ways that I hoped for, but did not expect. The 5.1 DTS-MA turned out beautifully and as a result I have few complaints. The score rumbles through the speakers, signifying magnificence and the sound effects are equally as strong. You will be able to enjoy the sounds of rumbling horse hooves, gun fights, and crackling thunder as a storm rolls through town rather poetically. Every small detail is emphasized in the audio to make for a near perfect track. The dialogue also leaves no complaints as it remains crisp and clear the entire time. Fans of this movie will love this audio track. In addition to the English audio there are Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks in French and Spanish. Subtitles are also included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.

Visual: 3 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Tombstone has been released in previous incarnations on DVD. One of those releases included a significant amount of special features. Unfortunately, many of those special features have been left out of this release. Things like the commentary, timeline, and historical accounts of Earp are missing. You do receive an awesome “Making of Tombstone” documentary that lasts for nearly 30 minutes. This includes moderate back patting and the usual additions to a making of.

Cast and crew weigh in and production, history, and making the film are discussed here. The Original Storyboards are also in this bonus section. Seven TV spots are available on this DVD, though these add little in terms of content. Things wrap up with two Tombstone trailers and a selection of previews. All in all, this is a fairly disappointing bonus section.

Bonus Features: 2 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Since the DVDs of Tombstone were released in multiple versions and there were bonuses not included in this release, I have to imagine a super, bonus filled Tombstone is on the horizon in the near future. The quality of the Blu-Ray is decent, but not magnificent, so if you already own the DVD, it might not be worth the upgrade, especially if a new, better release is coming eventually. This is pretty much a bare bones release and while this movie is definitely worth owning, this might not be the release to get. While Tombstone is highly recommended, Tombstone on Blu-Ray is an optional purchase.

Overall Rating: 4.21 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Tombstone, Western, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Movie, Bluray Review, Kurt Russell, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Blu-Ray

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: November 11, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $21.49

I am trying to think of a way to describe Sukiyaki Western Django. I have told myself that there has to be something nice to say about this film. Unfortunately when I thought about it, the only thing I could come up with are that the fight scenes are impressive and the video is spectacular. First off it’s a spaghetti Western. For those of you that have no clue what a spaghetti Western is (I didn’t know either) it’s basically a low budget Western that was produced by Italian studios. The main difference from these Westerns and any others were that the movie was done in the Italian language. Obviously, this makes this movie a little bit different as the core cast is Japanese and they speak incredibly broken English.

Additionally, I don’t believe this has the low budget feel of those old spaghetti westerns. The quality is impeccable and while the writing, directing, and acting could have used some work, the special effects and film quality were high enough to show that a good chunk of change was spent on this film. I actually opted to see this film for Tarantino. He has been amusing or worth watching in just about everything that I have seen him in. I knew I wasn’t a real fan of westerns, but I thought I would check it out for him. I swear on everything that is holy, I will never make such a mistake again. If there is ever a movie that only seems appealing for Tarantino, I will just suck it up and skip it. It will save me the trouble of having to sit through a soulless, bottom feeding movie with no purpose.

It’s rare that I review a movie with no plot. I am not being nitpicky here either. Sukiyaki Western Django seriously has no plot. If it does, it can be relayed in one line. It makes my job as a reviewer much easier because when I write the plot, there is nothing to give away. Of course, there is nothing to list in the plot section either, so that could be a tad bit of a problem. I’ve seen some pretty bad movies, but the idea of creating a movie without a plot is seriously baffling to me on so many levels.

If you ignore the lack of plot for the violence and Western-y type stuff you might be able to enjoy this movie. Usually I can forgive a movie for having a weak plot if the action is worthwhile. I did enjoy the fight scenes, but everything else was so empty that by the end of the movie those scenes no longer mattered.

The Sukyaki Western Django Plot
The plot for this is so simple that I don’t know where to begin. Seriously, it’s all about a line. In short form, there are two warring clans, the Reds and the Whites. Their main goal in life seems to be to take the other clan down. Unfortunately, the villagers in this small western town are stuck in the middle. The Genji (whites) and the Heike (reds) aren’t about to give up their feud anytime soon. At least not until an unnamed Gunman (Hideaki Ito) strolls into town to liberate the village from the oppression of the two groups.

The leader of the Reds is Taira no Kiyomori (Koichi Sato). He is a warrior that is hell bent on finding a treasure that he believes was hidden by the villagers. Meanwhile, the Whites are led by Yoshitsune (Yusuke Iseya). Unlike Kiyomori, Yoshitsune could care less about any treasure. His main goal is finding an opponent that is worthy of his talent and offers him a true challenge. Both groups try to woo the mysterious gunman, but they both fail. This leads to plenty of lives lost when the three men go head to head in a blaze of glory.

As I mentioned earlier, Tarantino was one of the immediate reasons that I wanted to see this movie. He appears on screen within the first ten minutes of the film and is gone for most of the film thereafter. While onscreen the first time, he tells a story in the most annoying accent (if that’s what it is supposed to be) I’ve ever heard. In fact, it made me want to cut his tongue out with a rusty knife. Well, that or just turn the movie off altogether, which isn’t a good start for any movie. Needless to say, things did not improve with Tarantino off the screen. His departure just made way for a bunch of soulless henchmen, bad dialogue and uninteresting storylines. The fight scenes had a tendency to be decent, but they cannot keep the entire movie afloat. It’s just not possible.

Storyline/Plot: 0.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 0 out of 5 stars
Acting: 0.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 0.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Sukiyaki Western Django looks good. The Blu Ray transfer makes use of 1080p and a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. At times the movie is gritty and the color screams of oversaturation, but you get the feeling that it was meant to be this way because the level of detail is still incredibly high. Many of the shots look fabulous with good detail and excellent scenery. I cannot say what the standard version looks like, but the Blu Ray offers a great look to it overall. It’s by far the best part of this awful movie.

The audio soundtrack weighs in with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless and while it sounds good for the most part, there are some moments of inconsistency. The sound effects are rich and sound amazing. However, at times the dialogue is just out of reach so you end up playing with the volume more than you should have to do with a Blu Ray. Despite this one flaw, most channels are used to the full capacity. The soundtrack is filled with action and the occasional musical moment. These sound the best by far, though the dialogue manages to get the job done when it is loud enough to be heard. In addition to the lossless soundtrack there is a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and subtitles in English and Spanish.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Sukiyaki Western Django only has a few special features. This statement is by no means a complaint. Actually I am quite thankful. I would have hated to have had to sit through more bonus features when I could barely stomach the movie in the first place. There is a featurette “The Making of Sukiyaki Western Django, which looks at everything that went into making this film.

This is actually shown with English subtitles because it’s in Japanese. The ‘Making Of’ goes beyond the standard fare in order to explore how the director handles things, and the challenges that he had to deal with when making the film. The only other special features offered are some deleted scenes and trailers that are offered in Standard Definition for films such as Transsiberian and War, Inc.. A digital copy is also included, though depending on how much you like this film you might not consider this a bonus at all.

Bonus Features: 2 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Sukiyaki Western Django is possibly the worst movie I have seen all year. If I blocked out the sound and pretended the characters weren’t all one dimensional, cardboard cutouts this might have been watchable. If I muted everything and only looked during the fight scenes, I might have been okay. I made the mistake of watching the whole thing through though and it’s a mistake that I will have to pay for as long as I live. Save yourself and don’t buy this. If you have to rent it, go for it, though I wouldn’t recommend spending any huge rental fee on it either.

Overall Rating: 1.71 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Blu-Ray, Quentin Tarantino, Yusuke Iseya, Kaori Momoi, Hideaki Ito, Sukiyaki Western Django, Western, Bad Movie

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will begin choosing winners for this the week of July 8, 2008, which means you have until July 7, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

From the Press Release:

In the greatest showdown in the history of cinema, lawman Will Kane (Cooper) stands to lose not only the town but his new wife (Kelly). On the day he gets married and hangs up his badge, Kane is told that a man he sent to prison years before, Frank Miller, is returning on the noon train to exact his revenge. Having initially decided to leave with his new spouse, Kane realizes he must go back and face Miller. However, when he seeks the help of the townspeople he has protected for so long, they turn their backs on him. Now, Kane must stand alone in his fight for justice.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary with Maria Cooper-Janis, Jonathan Foreman , Tim Zinnemann and John Ritter
“Inside High Noon” – 50-Minute Documentary on the Making of High Noon
“Tex Ritter: A Visit to Carthage, Texas” – Portrait Piece on the Tex Ritter Museum
Full-Length Tex Ritter Performance of Oscar®-Winning Original Song “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin” on the Jimmy Dean TV Show
“The Making of High Noon” featurette
“Behind High Noon” featurette
Radio broadcast with Tex Ritter

Technorati Tags: Lionsgate, Ultimate Collector’s Edition, 2-Disc Set, High Noon, Grace Kelly, Tex Ritter, Gary Cooper, Western, Win, Giveaway, Contest, Literary Illusions

Writer:

Brad Pitt movies tend to gain a lot of press and interest long before they hit the DVD shelves. The days of Cutting Class are over for Brad. It’s obvious that he has become an invaluable asset to the Hollywood community. One of the best things about Brad, the movie star, is that he does not seem to compromise his talent for the Hollywood hype films. He manages to work on intelligent films that people truly want to see. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of those films.

People that are interested in Jesse James will love this movie. People that know nothing about him should find this equally as interesting. Going into this review, I knew little about Jesse, other than the standard outlaw information that everyone else seems to know. This made watching this movie somewhat of an eye opener. I was expecting more of a Western outlaw shoot ‘em up type of film, but what I received was something far more thought provoking and intelligent than that.

Release Information:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has done more than its fair share of runs, traveling around the world. It first debuted at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2007. From there it traveled to film festivals in France and Canada before making a limited run in theaters a few weeks later, on September 21, 2007. The rest of the year was spent in such countries as Mexico, Israel, Belgium, the UK, Spain, Uruguay, Germany, Spain, and plenty of other countries. In 2008, countries that missed it the first time around, such as Greece, Hong Kong, Kuwait, and the Philippines will be graced with this interesting account of the Jesse James assassination.

Due to an extremely limited run at the theaters, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford only grossed around $4 million during its run. Despite that, critics have revered this fine film. In fact, many have gone on to add this film to their top ten best films of 2007 lists. Warner Bros is releasing, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford on DVD today, February 5, 2008. You can find this film at all major retailers, as well as Amazon where it is on sale for around $14.99.

The The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Plot
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford examines the final days of the life of Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and the gang that followed him throughout the years. The downfall seems to be helped along by the inclusion of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). Ford has idolized James since he was a boy. He knows everything about him and has gone as far as learning odd facts to find ways to compare their lives.

When Ford gets a chance to ride with the James gang it does not take long for the tides to change. Ford realizes that the man he thought was a hero may be anything but. Meanwhile, Robert and his brother, Charley, (Sam Rockwell) are knee deep in the gang when Robert realizes that James must be stopped and he should be the man to do it.
Naturally, I am leaving out plenty of the story. By the title you are well aware of what happens. This is a story that deserves to be seen rather than read about. All of the entertwined moments should be discussed after the film, not before you have seen it.

Rather than delving further into the plot, I will say that the story is brought to life and made to shine by the fabulous performances of the actors. Brad Pitt is absolutely stunning as Jesse James. Playing off the excentricities of James, Pitt makes him appear manic, if not outright bi-polar. James is portrayed as a loving father in one instance and a cold blooded killer just moments later.

Casey Affleck is amazing as Robert Ford. He is everything you would expect from a coward and when you watch the emotional journey from hero worship to stalking, hit man, you cannot help but sit in awe. Casey Affleck transformed into Ford so well that it was hard to see the actor. It is easy to see that Affleck is going to have a long and distinguished career should he keep playing such intriguing roles.

Other members of the James gang, such as Sam Shepherd as Frank James and the amazing Sam Rockwell as Ford’s brother, Charley, offer excellent supporting performances. Rockwell is particularly strong as the swarmy, yet loyal friend and brother caught between a proverbial rock and a hard place. Even Mary Louise Parker, who is seen far more than she is heard, adds just the right womanly’ touch as Jesse’s wife, Zee.

Every small detail for The Assassination of Jesse James has been well thought out and delivers on even the tiniest level. The cinematography is stunning and the score, while not a major focus, only appearing in just the right spots, is chilling. It is rare to see a movie that is right on every level, but this is one of the few I’ve seen in a long time.

While not the traditional Western and certainly not something that I was expecting, The Assassination of Jesse James offers a wonderful film that will leave you in awe. The film provides a slow pace with an eventual buildup that starts from the first frame until the curtains have finally closed, as the climax has leveled off and ended at just the perfect time. The narration may be off-putting to some, though I found it to be one of my favorite parts of the film. The bits that were added with the narration really helped to move the story along and to segway into different periods in the story. In the end, this is easily one of the best films of the year.

Storyline/Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The video quality for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is absolutely fabulous. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The colors come in looking very natural, which is important for any film. The editors did a wonderful job with rendering the colors to appear more brown and gray than anything. This puts the colors on the darker side, but that really is the point. Even with the dark transfer the impeccable details shine through beautifully. It’s hard to imagine that WB could have done a nicer job with this.

The sound mix is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Tracks are available in English, Spanish, and French. There are subtitles available for all languages and English listeners can also take advantage of Closed Captioning, should it be necessary. The audio quality comes through perfectly. There is never a problem understanding the dialogue and the music is not only beautiful, it works well with the story.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Surprisingly enough, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford does not have very many special features. In fact, other than a few trailers and other basics, the DVD is empty when it comes to special additions of any kind. It would have been nice to hear some commentary or to enjoy some making of type featurettes, but these types of things have all been left out.

Bonus Features: 1 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an excellent movie that deserves a far bigger following than the theatrical release allowed. If you are expecting a more traditional, shoot ‘em up Western, this version of Jesse James may leave you wanting more. Either way, this movie offers an excellent story, ingenious acting, and beautiful editing, video and sound quality.

In so many ways this is a movie that is as close to perfect as possible. It’s easy to see why this movie made so many critics’ top ten lists for the best movies of 2007. If you aren’t sure if an intelligent story about Jesse James will appeal to you then you should rent this. Anyone else should take the plunge and pick this one up.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Jesse James, Robert Ford, Brad Pitt, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Action, Western, Bad Boys, Guns, DVD Review, Movie

Writer:

Whenever I hear the name Mangold in any capacity, I think of my elementary school principal, Mr. Mangold. He was a terrifying man who, when I was a Kindergartener, towered over me, Slimfast can in hand and a sour expression on his face. I had to go to his office with my best friend once to report that Greg, a hyperactive, out of control classmate, broke all my crayons in half. I can only hope the cast of 3:10 to Yuma dealt with a much happier, friendlier, director in James Mangold, because if these two Mangolds happen to resemble one another, I feel sorry for them.

Luckily, James Mangold has more skills than my principal ever had, especially when it comes to directing a good movie. He did it with the freakishly entertaining Girl Interrupted and the cinematic, award-winning Walk the Line. So, why couldn’t he do the same thing with a Western?

I don’t know what it is about this year, but a slew of Westerns came out all around the same time; from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford to No Country for Old Men. I guess you could say 2007 was the year of the Westerns, again. Well…sort of. The way I see it, the Western really hasn’t made a comeback since the height of its popularity back in the 1960s, but there have been many valiant efforts to revive the genre and these last three films have definitely given it a new wind, albeit briefly.

So, what gave James Mangold the confidence to make a Western, especially one that was a remake of the 1957 movie by the same name? I guess he’s the only one who can truly answer that question. Adapted from the short story 3:10 to Yuma, by Elmore Leonard, both movies feature a decent cast, good direction, and a similarly interesting plot line. They’re based on the same story so they should. I’ m not usually fond of remakes, especially of movies I’ve seen.

Since I’m not a big fan of Westerns, I really have nothing to compare 3:10 to Yuma to and that suits me just fine. I was able to judge the movie on its own merits, without being clouded by judgments on the first adaptation, and quite frankly, I kind of liked Mangold’s take on it. You can take that for what it’s worth.

Release Information:
3:10 to Yuma was originally going to be released on October 5, 2007. However, with the announcement of the releases of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford on September 15, 2008 and No Country for Old Men, in early November, Lionsgate decided to push up the release date. 3:10 to Yuma premiered in over 2,500 theaters nationwide on September 7, 2007. To date, it has grossed more than $60 million dollars worldwide and in it’s opening weekend, it went undisputed as #1 at the box office.

Lionsgate has allowed 3:10 to Yuma to be released before the other Westerns thanks to its early debut in theaters. The reasoning behind this was so all of the other Westerns would have to be compared to 3:10 to Yuma. Of course, there are people like me, who try not to compare films. I’d rather judge them on their own merit, not on how they stack up against others in the genre. Well, at least not when I can help it. 3:10 to Yuma comes to retailers on January 8, 2008. You can order a copy on Amazon for $19.49.

The 3:10 to Yuma Plot
Did I mention I’m neither a fan of remakes or Westerns? I’m sure I already have. Nevertheless, I found 3:10 to Yuma to be interesting. My biggest problem with Westerns is that I find them to be over-acted, over-dramatized, and, at times, just plain boring. When my Grandma, who happens to be 95, said she loved John Wayne, I honestly never believed it was because of his ability to entertain in Westerns (Grandma’s not the Western type) any more than I believed her love of Elvis was for his singing.

That being said, 3:10 to Yuma is actually an enjoyable movie. There’s a lot of action, a cohesive plot, and interesting, multi-faceted characters. In whole, the entire production is enough to appeal to someone who may not like Westerns as well as appease the genre’s most loyal fans. The story begins with one of the most interesting characters I’ve seen this year.

Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a poor farmer who also happens to be a disabled veteran of the Civil War. The entire characterization of Dan is of a weak man. His wife, Alice (Gretchen Mol) has presumably kicked him out of their bed, he’s in debt up to his ears, and his own sons, William (Logan Lerman) and Mark (Ben Petry) don’t respect him. In the beginning of the film, Dan awakens to find his barn on fire. It has been set ablaze by two men who work for a man he owes money to, Glen Hollander (Lennie Loftin). Unable to do anything, Evans takes the loss, much to the chagrin of his family.

The next day, Dan is out herding cattle with his two sons. They find that an outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his gang have decided to use their cattle to block the road. Their plan is to rob an armored stagecoach and as they do, Ben discovers the family watching him. Since the boys and their father aren’t a threat to the gang, Ben let’s them live. He also takes some of their horses. He will leave them tied to a tree that is on the road to Bisbee, Arizona. After leaving to go celebrate the successful ambush, Ben and his gang drink it up at the town saloon.

In the meantime, a lone survivor, a bounty hunter by the name of Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda) has emerged from the stagecoach robbery. When railroad guards show up, Dan tells them they can find Ben in Bisbee. McElroy is injured so in Bisbee, Doc Potter (Alan Tudyk) treats his injuries. As the guards go off to find Ben, Dan confronts Hollander, who tells him he plans to sell his land to the railroad. Dan had originally thought Hollander would be granting him water rights on the land, but feeling betrayed the two men fight in the local saloon. It is here where Dan finds Ben having a merry time. As the two men talk, the railroad guards are able to sneak up on him and arrest him.

Dan is hired with three other men (two of whom are McElroy and Doc Potter) to guard Ben for $200. Their job is going to be to make sure he gets to the town of Contention. There, he can catch the 3:10 PM train to Yuma, where he will be locked up in the local prison. Now that Ben is gone, his gang is led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster), who can only be described as insane. To distract Prince and his gang, a convoy is being sent in their direction, while the real wagon carrying the men to Contention makes its escape from the Evans home.

From there, the action begins, as if it hadn’t already. There is a confrontation with a Native American tribe, a confrontation or two with Prince and the gang, time is spent in a Chinese laborer concentration camp, there are multiple deaths, and the lead characters both get wounded, once or twice. All in all, the plot is propelled forward by the constant movement of the story and the action portrayed on screen.

The acting cannot get any better. Despite having some problems in his real time life, Russell Crowe really does know how to set things on fire, on screen. He has an on screen chemistry with Bale that appears, despite the characters they are playing, almost like a brotherly camaraderie. While Russell gives one great performance, it is Bale that sticks out as making the show. Sure, Russell is the bad boy, but Bale displays a masculine vulnerability not often seen in Westerns.

The script was tight for the most part though there were some small issues with characterization choices. I don’t know too many bad guys in the old west who could write, let alone be artistic. Ben Wade’s penchant for drawing is not only laughable, it’s one of the few things that is out of place. Add that to the fact that the disabled Evans seems to have no problem with his mobility at times and there were a few tweaks that should have been done that weren’t. Needless to say, these things are small enough that forgiving Mangold for not fixing them is easy enough to do when watching 3:10 to Yuma.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
3:10 to Yuma is beautiful. The DVD is available in widescreen, full frames, and Blu Ray. This review deals with the widescreen release. The anamorphic widescreen picture is delivered at an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. There isn’t any color bleeding. Everything is accentuated nicely. Flesh colors look natural. The images are sharp. There really isn’t any fuzz, softness, or compression errors worth complaining about.

When it comes to sound, the Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound track is mixed to perfection. With action movies, especially Westerns, a lot of care has to be taken to ensure the sounds are balanced. This mix did a good job of this and everything comes through clearly. Closed Captioning is available for the hearing impaired and subtitles are presented in both English and Spanish.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
The first feature on the 3:10 to Yuma DVD is an audio commentary with James Mangold. This offers some interesting insight into his thought process when directing the movie and his vision for the film. There is a making of featurette that further explores these topics and the making of 3:10 to Yuma. The featurette is called “Destination Yuma”. There is also another featurette called “An Epic Explored” as well as a documentary, “Outlaws, Gangs, and Posses”. Finally, there are some deleted scenes. Overall, there’s a nice mix of material here, so if you’re a fan of extras, you should be satisfied.

Bonus Features: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
3:10 to Yuma isn’t the typical Western and yet it is. There are gun battles, old west saloon scenes, sweeping views of the land, and the ultimate showdown where good takes on evil. However, who is good and who is evil becomes blurred as two men, one good and one bad, find a connection with one another. That kind of connection can make a man do crazy things. If you like unexpected endings, action, adventure, and stories that make you question whether you’re rooting for the good guy or the bad guy then 3:10 to Yuma is the movie you need to see. For everyone else, rent this one first.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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