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Dan Evans is a poor farmer struggling to keep his family afloat when he loses two cattle in the midst of a stagecoach robbery. Notorious criminal Ben Wade was the leader of the operation. Well, when Wade celebrates in the nearest town a little too long, he gets captured. Since Wade was caught in a town with very little law enforcement, the robbed banker offers a much needed $200 to anyone able to assist in transporting the villain to prison. Evans accepts the challenge to help repay for the lost cattle and then some. Now it’s off to Contention City so he can get Wade on the 3:10 train to Yuma and his new jail cell home. Hopefully, Wade’s gang won’t be waiting.

More often than not, Hollywood remakes simply don’t work – at least from an artistic standpoint. You take a movie that people have come to know and love and try to recreate that magic with a new cast and crew, while also updating the story to make it “better.” The end result is a brand new movie that’s competing with fond memories. Which do you think would win? But, this is one of those rare instances where the remake actually provides for some worthwhile cinema and at least holds its own against its predecessor from fifty years ago.

Two words come to mind when comparing the new film to the 1957 version: grittier and longer. The Hays Code meant that filmgoers didn’t have the option of seeing graphic depictions of violence, sex or anything that could potentially be shocking to young children. Despite that, the original still manages to create a tense atmosphere and an effective villain. However, now that the movie studios don’t operate under guidelines forcing them to make everything accessible to everyone, the new version can be darker. Scenes were added to capitalize on this and really drive home how brutal Ben Wade and his gang can be. Whereas the original used gunplay sparingly and even wrote in the lack of gunshots into the script to accentuate the climax, the 2007 iteration takes gun-toting to a whole new level for a more intense, albeit completely different approach to the climax.

All these added bits took the film from an efficient, concise 92 minutes to a sort of noticeable 117. While it probably didn’t need to add that much, at least what was added isn’t padding. The new additions help build the characters and increase their depth. Christian Bale as Evans revels in his character flaws and shows a guy who is struggling in every aspect of his life and his moral fiber. Russell Crowe as Wade is a brutal villain who only struggles when his victims try to pull his deadly hands away. He exudes the same level of charm that Glenn Ford did in 1957, but then is able to balance that with unmoving, unremorseful grizzly violence. He shows Wade is a true threat not just with his guns and hands, but also with his calculating, manipulative mind. The result is a villain that’s on par with Hannibal Lecter from “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Now, I’m not a fan of remakes, and the western genre is probably my least favorite, so when I say that this movie is worth seeing, that means something. The filmmaking leaves a little to be desired. The cinematography is nice and thankfully un-flashy, but it fails to show off the landscapes. Also, the longer script makes for some repetitious themes. But aside from that, it’s an entirely entertaining film with incredible characters backed by some fine acting and a captivating, well-told story that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This is one remake that is actually better than the original…but just barely.

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