Review of Chariots of Fire (1981) by Adam S — 14 Aug 2012

If there's one thing that you can say about Chariots, it's a beautifully acted film. Which you'd expect from an all-British cast list that includes such notables as Ian Holm, John Gieguld and Richard Griffiths.

However, that is pretty much all you can say for this slow moving Olympic film. I watched this at the height of London 2012, and found myself hankering for something a bit faster halfway through. By the end, the slow plodding nature of the film meant Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt combined may not have been fast enough to save me from boredom.

My biggest concern was with the way Eric Liddell was portrayed. I've read all about Liddell, a missionary who reportedly went out of his way to help others before considering helping himself.

But, whether or not it was intentional, to someone outside of the faith, such as I am, Liddell's character just came off as a self-righteous, pompous ass.

And that was a crying shame.

Overall, with all that criticism, I still saw enough to see why some people call it an epic. Even with my opinion of the film, that score is enough to raise every hair on your body.

I just wouldn't put it on the masterpiece shelf.