When famous outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his gang rob a coach the two cross paths briefly.
Later, when Wade is unexpectedly captured in town, Evans joins the group transporting him to the nearest railroad station to put him the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. It's a dangerous job but he needs the money.
No good will come of this.
A rare big budget star packed modern Western.
Crowe is excellent as the devilishly charismatic Wade, who while dangerous seems to be looking for redemption or capricious self destruction it's not clear which.
Bale is more grounded as Evans, doing what must be done.
The whole thing revolves around the interaction between the two and there's an element of Wade looking at Evans' life and relationships with envy but also knowing he will probably have to kill him soon. Wade is a monster who knows he can't have a life and is regretful and at times creepy.
All this happens against a background of bad men doing bad stuff, whether they're Wade's gang, less scrupulous townsfolk, those building the railway that threatens Evans' ranch or the Marshalls.
Recommended 7/10, good to see a Western for a change. This is the last 'big' one I can think of and it's 15 years old.