.: Roberts' Reviews - Movie Reviews :.

It would seem as if the worst titled film of the new fall release schedule might just be one of the best films of the year with 3:10 to Yuma, the new western release by Walk The Line's director James Mangold starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

Now before someone emails me or gets into a huff over the title, yes, I am well aware that it is derived from the original film 3:10 to Yuma - the 1957 film starring Henry Fonda and Van Heflin which was fairly well received in its time, but in no way one of the more memorable films of a year that brought us The Bridge Over River Kwai, Peyton Place, Sayonara and An Affair to Remember. But come on! If you are going to update a film and try and get an audience, at least test market the title.

Marketing nightmarish title aside, 3:10 to Yuma was a wild action packed ride that is the perfect primer as we wash ourselves clean of the mindless action films of the summer and get ready for the heavy dramas that get released between now and the awards seasons cut off.

Starring Crowe as bad guy and prisoner Ben Wade and Bale as family man good guy Dan Evans, 3:10 to Yuma refers to the train departure from the town of Contention where Wade is being transported so that he can stand trial for his acts of violence in Yuma.

If the film sounds simple, it is. As Evans and Wade travel to the station, they are faced with the challenges of evading hostile Indians, hostile cowboys looking to seek revenge for acts against them by Wade and his gang, and an even more hostile posse belonging to Wade that is on their trail in an attempt to free their feared leader.

Transporting of prisoners is nothing new to moviegoers with everything from Midnight Run to 16 Blocks all representing the simplified premise of having to get a person from point A to point B while avoiding the perils represented by D through Z.

But due to it's acting, deliberate pacing and exceptional directing, 3:10 to Yuma separates itself from others in the genre and will have you engrossed to a point where you won't even realize that two hours have zipped in front of your senses.

There isn't a thing not to like in 3:10. It has enough action, drama, suspense, character development and adventure to put it amongst one of the best films of the year and gives good chase to being the best western since The Unforgiven (I actually liked 3:10 more than the Clint Eastwood awards winner).

So don't let the title dissuade you front checking out this gem when it is released September 7th. You won't remember the last time all the pieces to an entertaining puzzle came together so effortlessly that you forgot you were watching a movie and thinking you were sitting on rooftop of the local saloon watching things unfold.