Critics Riding High on Western '3:10 to Yuma'

Critics are saddling up for "3:10 to Yuma," a remake of a Western that “moves like a barn on fire,” according to Newsday’s Jan Stuart. It's director James Mangold's "most sustained and evocative work," touts the New Yorker. The morally nuanced film follows rancher (Christian Bale) in his effort to bring a charismatic prisoner (Russell Crowe) to his execution.

Crowe and Bale’s performances drew nearly universal acclaim. "The stronger the bad guy, the better the film. By that measure, '3:10 to Yuma' is excellent," says the Christian Science Monitor. The ending, however, met a lukewarm response. Variety called it “murky and forced." (More media criticism stories.)