A serious Western is probably as far removed as one can mosey from the typical teenage-friendly romp across the silver screen, but this one--costarring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line)--is intriguing and captivating enough for a young crowd to appreciate. Indeed, its $14.5 opening box-office take last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was enough to top all other comers on a historically slow moviegoing weekend. Most importantly 3:10 to Yuma sports a trainload of scenes ripe for valuable discussion. So saddle on up...

Bale plays Dan Evans, a struggling Arizona rancher who lost part of his leg in the Civil War defending Washington, D.C., as part of a sharpshooting corp for the North. Evans is losing a lot more these days, too--money, land, cattle, water...and the respect of his wife and two sons. No surprise that he convinces local authorities to let him help escort Crowe's character, Ben Wade--an at-once spiritual, notorious, charming, wily, cold-blooded thief and outrageously fast gunslinger--to a Yuma prison for the princely fee of $200. The problem? Not only is Wade's motley gang looking to spring him, killing everything that stands in the way, but Wade proves an uncommonly difficult prisoner to escort, getting under his captors' psychological skins, Hannibal Lechter-like, and offing a couple of them in the process. The plot comes to a head in a town with the fitting moniker of Contention, where the 3:10 p.m. train is slated to transport Wade to Yuma--that is if Evans & Co. have the nerve and survival skills to get him aboard.

The strength of 3:10 to Yuma is the developing rapport between Evans and Wade, who soon manage a degree of congeniality in the face of moral opposition. Complexities and nuances in each of their personalities are slowly revealed, culminating in surprising (even redeeming) choices and actions. Also powerful is the evolving relationship between Evans and his oldest son, both of whom "grow up" a great deal by the end. Most interesting for discussion purposes are Evans' and Wade's relationships with God: Evans is spiritually frustrated, stating at one point that God has chosen to ignore him despite his many troubles; Wade--who easily quotes Scripture despite only having read it once (cover to cover over three days at the age of eight)--sees God in a relativistic way, justifying his behavior by twisting various Proverbs.

While 3:10 to Yuma is a no-brainer resource once it hits DVD racks around Christmas (when you can screen scenes of your choice), less certain is whether you're safe to take your kids to see in the theaters. There's a fair amount of violence, some blood, and a bit of rough language--but nothing really over the top, especially given the context of the plot. There's also a scene in which Wade sketches the naked back and partial buttocks of a barmaid he had just seduced, but all you see is the sketchpad--there's otherwise no nudity or sex. 3:10 to Yuma will prove a powerful, moving view seen in its entirety in theaters, but use discretion if you're considering taking your group for a screening.