3:10 To Yuma - Long Live the Cowboy Movie!

On Sunday, hubby and I went to see a movie. This was quite an event, because it's not often that we both want to see the same thing (the last movie we saw together was Casino Royal... and let me just say that Daniel Craig makes a yummy James Bond!)

The movie we chose was 3:10 To Yuma. I love horses, but that doesn't mean I'm automatically drawn to all cowboy movies. For one thing, the horses often die in these movies, which I find to be a bummer. But, this one caught my attention because of Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Also, the premise was interesting; A one-legged Civil War vet must accompany a notorious murdering bandit to board the 3:10 train which will take him to Yuma prison. Problem is, the bandit's gang is doing everything they can to stop it.

There's a lot in this movie about destiny and what makes the true measure of a man. There's also a ton of action, a fair amount of swearing (it's rated R, after all) and some appearences by actors that you don't expect to see. I found myself having some rather unexpected reactions whenever they popped up.

Hey, is that Peter Fonda underneath all that hair?

Hey, that Gretchen Moll makes a pretty little farm wife.

Hey, how can Luke Wilson manage to still be so cute when he's playing a sadistic bigot with dirty teeth?

Hey, there's Alan Tudyk! Wash alert! (Let me just confess now, I'm a sci fi geek, and I love finding actors from my favorite sci fi series getting work after their series are over. In case you didn't know, Alan Tudyk played Wash, the pilot, in the series Firefly and the movie Serenity.)

But I gotta say, I really enjoyed this movie. Yep, it's violent, but I think the violence was pretty much a part of who these men were (the characters in the movie. I can't speak to how actual desperados acted, having never met one). The best parts of the movie are the performances turned in by Crowe and Bale. Both of these men are terrific actors, and they find the nuances in their characters, ensuring that it's impossible to take either one at face value.

And another plus, to my recollection, not a single horse died in the movie. Hot diggity! (A cow bit the dust, but I don't have quite the same emotional connection with bovine.)

So if you're looking for a good western with great acting, pretty horses, and you can stomach some blood and raw language, catch the 3:10 To Yuma. I don't think you'll be disappointed.