3.10 to Yuma could do for Westerns* what the first Pirates of the Caribbean did for pirate movies.
It stars the wonderful Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, an actor I've never really 'got', and tells the story of a rancher (Bale) on the brink of bankruptcy who volunteers to escort the newly-captured notorious criminal (Crowe) to catch the Yuma prison train in return for a sum that will save his farm.
While it has all the ramshackle towns, saloons, sheriff's and shoot out's beloved of Westerns there is a grubby rawness, psychological subtlety and enough plot twists to create a tense thriller. The action sequences are simple and often brutal in their violence but it is the central characters, their struggles with themselves and their relationship with each other which take centre stage.
There are some great performances and while I'm still not totally convinced by Crowe there was complexity to his character which he brought out superbly in his performance.
I haven't seen much press about this film but it deserves to do well. A great piece of cinema.
(*Some might argue that last year's The Proposition put cowboy flicks back on the agenda but as it's set in Australia, I'm not sure it can technically be classified as a Western.)