Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are arguably two of the best actors working today.

Movie fans get a chance to see both in action together in the new film &#82203:10 to Yuma” – a remake of a 1957 Glenn Ford western that is a solid, gritty drama getting the most out of its starpower.

Crowe plays Ben Wade, a notorious outlaw responsible for more than 20 major robberies on the Southern Railroad in 19th-century Arizona, who is apprehended after his latest heist.

With Wade in custody, the railroad agents decide to send him to a prison train headed for Yuma, but they enlist the help of several residents of the local community to assist in the transport of Wade.

One of the men who agrees to help is Dan Evans (Bale), a down-on-his-luck rancher and Civil War veteran who sees the $200 reward that comes with the job as a way to keep his family from being evicted from their ranch.

A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher, with the stakes raised even further when Evans’ oldest son (Logan Lerman) complicates the picture.

The western is a dying genre that really hasn’t had a chance to shine much in recent memory (the Oscar-winning &#8220Unforgiven” is the only film that immediately comes to mind), but &#8220Yuma” does a good job of providing the genre with a much-needed spark.

Crowe has a lot of fun with his character, managing to balance the line between charming and sinister, while Bale gives an added depth to his role as the wounded (both mentally and physically) rancher.

It also helps to have Peter Fonda in a supporting role as one of the railroad law officers.

Director James Mangold has a keen eye for the material, effectively capturing the grittiness of the era. While it is a little bit different from his previous film, &#8220Walk the Line,” the two films really aren’t that far apart – both are powered by strong performances.

I will concede that the ending is a little bit too easy, with certain characters doing things that I really question they would actually do, but for the most part this is a film that succeeds in giving fans of westerns something they have been starving for – an entertaining film that stays true to the genre.