'Yuma'-st see it

Westerns are dead. Long live "3:10 to Yuma."

It would be a shame if people pass up Hollywood's latest attempt to resurrect the dusty genre. Director James Mangold's "3:10 to Yuma," a remake of the terrific 1957 western, deserves as wide an audience as any film out there today. Here's my review.

I recently caught up with the original, which starred Glenn Ford in a rare villainous role, and found it held up remarkably well. It's just been re-released on DVD, so do give it a try. No tasty extras, but it does have trailers for the film as well as a teaser for the new "Yuma."

As taut as the 1957 version is, the remake improves upon the source. And let's hear it yet again for Russell Crowe, who plays the wickedly compelling Ben Wade. We know Christian Bale takes the less flashy role as the rancher trying to save his farm, but this is Crowe's movie from the opening reel.