There is nothing quite like the cinematography in a good western. The wide open expanses that challenge the characters’ very souls. 3:10 to Yuma begins in a very typical manner. Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a rancher that has a bad leg and gets his barn burnt down by the local money guy. There’s a drought and the money is all used up. Typical set-up. We then move to the outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) holding up a stagecoach to get the weapons on board. He’s a complete bad-ass. Ben oversees the robbery with his two sons and Wade catches him. Eventually Wade is caught in town and Evans happens to be in the middle of it all. Wade is to be taken to Yuma to catch the 3:10 train to Contention to be locked up. Dan volunteers to help transport Wade. I know it sounds like a fairly straight forward story, and it many ways it is. But the story is not what makes the film great.

The psychology between Dan and Ben is something that can only be described as two men picking apart each others brains. Wade is a psychopath at times and very cruel, yet he has compassion for Dan. Dan on the other hand seems to be a hard working man that only does good, but this is also only one aspect to his psyche. The interplay between Bale and Crowe makes the film. By the end, the viewer is completely wrapped up in a what will happen dilemma. You care about each character, and you care how their relationship will play out. The acting is truly top notch, especially in one of the final scenes where Dan and Ben are sitting in a hotel room surrounded by Ben’s gang. You want them both to win, or at least get what they deserve.

Which brings me to the best part of the film, the end. Without revealing too much; no matter how sad or angry the end makes you feel, it works. Too many times a film wants to push a happy ending just to satisfy the masses while completely ruining the flow of the narrative. 3:10 to Yuma gives us a logical ending that does not conform to the idea that a film needs to leave people giggling and smiling.

I also have to mention the action before we end this review. Too many times a film uses action as a distraction from a poorly written or acted film. 3:10 to Yuma uses the action as a compliment to the narrative. A final amazing gunfight serves as a logical and needed extension from a quiet hotel room conversation. You need both to have some sense of the characters. I am pretty tired of films where action is the driving force rather than story.

Overall, 3:10 to Yuma serves as a reason to watch a western no matter what your typical tastes are. There are small rolls that add to the fun (such as Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Alan Tudyk, and Gretchen Mol) and a nice sense of knowing that accompanies the entire film. Knowing that the film is always going in the right direction.

I was like so totally enthralled by the cool tricks and magic! (The special effects were very interesting. They seemed to play on the old feel of the film itself. The Tesla machine was a very nifty machine, but the credibility of the film goes out the window when we see the duplicates.)

Scarlett Johansson was hot! (The acting was a bit daft at times. Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson) was very dry and really lacked the screen time to make me care about her character. That seems to be the general feel for all of the acting. The two rival magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), were so involved in their rivalry that no common sense prevailed. Each actor really pushed that aspect, creating characters that were single minded. However, that approach left me with two very wooden performances. By the end of the film, I felt nothing for either character. I must mention that Tesla (David Bowie…yes I said David Bowie) was a very interesting figure. Bowie does pull off the reclusive mad scientist with knowledge well beyond his years. Perhaps the best performance comes from Cutter (Michael Caine). It may just be the British hard nosed but lovable character, but Caine raises the acting bar for the rest of the cast. A bar which many of the actors run over rather than jump.)

What a great twist! (I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the prestige, but I really was not rewarded in the manner I expected. I had a real problem with the reality of the film and the dramatic reveal that follows. Angier’s machine had a deus ex machina feel. How are we going to fill the plot holes, let’s bring in a machine of the gods to wrap up the loose ends. Because of the twist, I have no real desire to watch this again.)

I really enjoyed watching this film! (Once.)

They should make all films like this. (They, meaning Hollywood. All, meaning films seeking box office payout.)

So there you see the difference in criticism and enjoyability (perhaps not a real word). It was a fun film, but not all fun films can be elevated to the level of phenomenal filmmaking. But, the critical side to my brain does like to be turned off every now and then. Sometimes watching a film is the escape from reality that we all need. So put your critical mind up and grab a beer (or glass of wine, or whiskey, or coffee, or water, or whatever), The Prestige delivers on fun!