The Best Movie of 2007

24-12-2007 09:25

No 1: The Best: 3:10 to Yuma

Here we are at the top of the Best Movies of 2007 chart and the movie that takes the crown is James Mangold's Western thriller 3:10 to Yuma.Starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale 3:10 to Yuma carries on the Western re-birth topinng the U.S box office. War vetern Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is facing a daily struggle to keep a roof over his family's head and food on the table. The drought has led to the daeth of many of his cattle and he is on the verge of being thrown out of his home with nothing.When infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is captured Dan, in an attempt to gain some lost respect and some money, he volunteers to join the group that will take Wade to Contention to put him on the 3:10 train to Yuma, the train that will take him to trial.But with Wade's band of outlaws behind, who are hell bent on saving thier leader, close behind the group face danger at every turn as their numbers start to dwindle.

As their journey becomes more violent Wade and Evans find themselve working together and earning each other's respect.

3:10 to Yuma is a remake of Delmar Daves' 1957 film starring Van Heflin and Glenn Ford.

Whether or not you you are a fan of the western movie genre you can't help but be excited by the notion of a Russell 'Gladiator' Crowe and Christian 'Batman' Bale face-off.

And these two actor, who are arguably the best of their generation, deliver they are driving force and main asset to this movie.

The duel like nature beteen the two men, who come from different walks of like a murderous Wade and the moral uptanding Evans, is cleverly kept intact throughtout the duration of the film keeping the focus on them, how they react to what is happening and more importantly how they are reacting to each other. And their scenes together, in particular at Contention station, are box office gold.

While Crowe delivers his best work since Cinderalla Man Bale merely adds another impressive performance to his ever growing movie CV highlighting his flexability as an actor, jumped around different genres of movies all year from military to western to biopic drama.

Westerns are an endangered species at the box office but James Mangold, who brought us Walk The Line, has delivered an elegant and exiting film which doesn't only create nostalgia, for the days when western were ten a penny, but is very contemporary.

Mangold has brought together a magnificent cast, there isn't one weak link, and despite Crowe adn Bale dominating the screen Ben Foster who delivers an exceptional performance as Charlie Prince, Wade's right hand man.

Where the film differs considerably from the origional is it delves deeper into the back story of the both the main characters, in particular Evans, but sympathy is created for the character of Wade as he reveales that he was abandoned by his mother as a child.

But don't worry it isn't an overly wordy movie with all emotions on display in traditional western style there are plenty of gun fights to get your teeth into.

James Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma injects new life ito this dying movie drama highlighting that when done correctly there is still a place for it on the big screen, and having topped the U.S box office there is still an audience for it too.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw