The Western is perhaps the most American of films. An archetypal celebration of rugged individuality, of the ingenuity of man confronting the vastness of nature and the injustices perpetrated by his fellows, the classics of the genre place a heroic epitome of masculinity on the triumphant side of a clear divide between good and evil. Although rarely free of struggle, the morally right path is all too apparent. Thank goodness, they don’t make them like that anymore.

“3:10 to Yuma” uses the language of the Western to fuse a sophisticated and complex psychological game of cat and mouse onto a well-crafted shoot-’em-up. Despite the basic premise of a rancher and family man (Christian Bale) escorting a captured outlaw (Russell Crowe) to justice, “Yuma” is at heart a character study. It just happens to be a character study with lots of guns.

There are really only three characters in the film: Bale, Crowe, and everything else. The focus on the two men is fascinating and unflinching, while all the other components of the film combine into a rich and gorgeously textured atmosphere with shades of 1952’s “High Noon.” Beyond both movies having a time in their titles, each is an exquisitely calibrated slow build of tension that detonates in a heart-stopping final act.

As the notorious outlaw Ben Wade, Russell Crowe may have acted himself into yet another Oscar nomination. Wade emanates a charm and charisma that are chillingly discordant with his reputation as a ruthless gang leader. When he abruptly explodes into violence, the effect is shocking – and riveting.

An obviously intelligent, sensitive and introspective man, Wade is a phenomenally complex villain made unforgettable by Crowe’s commanding performance. While Crowe is on screen, it is impossible to look anywhere else. However many telephones he hurls at innocent employees in the service industry, the man can act.

In another life, Ben Wade might have been Dan Evans, a rancher with a stubborn sense of righteousness and too much honor for his own good. Dan is also partially crippled and dirt poor, so he leaps at the chance to fill out Wade’s escort to the prison train of the title, for a fee.

While Crowe shines, Bale smolders with a brooding intensity ideal for Dan’s demons. He is also one of the most versatile actors in the business, and he proves it by melting into his role. Watching Crowe and Bale spark off each other is sheer joy.

While “3:10 to Yuma” is a subtly conceived piece of art, it’s also terrific entertainment. Making a dull film about an outlaw leader would be frankly unforgivable, and the filmmakers are not remotely close to committing that sin. They deliver with panache on the requisite holdups and gunfights, and Ben Foster contributes an arresting performance as Ben Wade’s marginally psychotic right-hand man.

At the climax as the 3:10 to Yuma nears the station, every physical and psychological conflict simmering for the past two hours erupts for a cathartic, deliciously ambiguous conclusion. By the time the train pulls away the dust of the final battle may have settled, but with any justice this movie will not ride quietly into the sunset.