Which actor played Ben Wade in the 2007 film '3:10 to Yuma'?

Russell Crowe played Ben Wade in the 2007 film “3:10 to Yuma.”

Crowe portrays Wade as a charismatic but ruthless outlaw leader whose gang robs a stagecoach in the Arizona Territory. After Wade is captured, impoverished rancher Dan Evans, played by Christian Bale, accepts a dangerous assignment to help escort him to Contention, where he is supposed to board the 3:10 train to Yuma Territorial Prison.

The film was directed by James Mangold and is the second screen adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 1953 short story “Three-Ten to Yuma.” It also remakes the 1957 film, in which Glenn Ford played Ben Wade and Van Heflin played Dan Evans. That difference explains one frequent source of confusion: Crowe is the Wade of the 2007 version, not the original.

The supporting cast includes Peter Fonda as Byron McElroy and Ben Foster as Charlie Prince, Wade’s fiercely loyal second-in-command. The 2007 film earned Academy Award nominations for Marco Beltrami’s score and for sound mixing, and it grossed about $71.2 million worldwide.