In recent years there has been a large influx of remakes, and for one of those few rare occasions they may have actually done it right with “3.10 to Yuma.”

The film combines one of the best young directors and the pairing of perhaps two of the best actors working today.

“3.10 to Yuma” is based on the film by the same name from 1957, which starred Glen Ford and was directed by famed western auteur Delmer Daves. The story follows a rancher (Bale) who volunteers to help deliver a notorious leader of an outlaw gang (Crowe) to a train which will deliver him to his trial in the titular town of Yuma.

As they wait for the train, the two men enter into a battle of wills, each trying to push the other to the brink as they have something to gain and everything to lose as well.

While the original felt like a psychological thriller, the remake seems to lean more toward a straight up action film, while maintaining a few of the traits that made the original memorable. This is neither a good nor a bad thing; it just means that it has separated itself from the original while trying to appeal to modern audiences.

We will have to wait and see if it works or not.

“3.10 to Yuma” is the first of a string of westerns that will be released in the upcoming months, and it is already generating early Oscar buzz from insider sources. However, so many high profile films are coming out so it could get lost in the shuffle.