Review of Chariots of Fire (1981) by Kevin D — 29 Dec 2009
One reason for the film's success lies in its unswerving sense of the story that it's telling. Plot details aside, this is the story of two strong personalities, Abrahams and Liddell, who are very different from each other in many ways, but united in their talent for running and their passionate devotion to what each feels is most important.
Chariots of Fire gives us a complex, nuanced view of each of these characters; while each has certain driving characteristics (Abrahams' arrogance; Liddell's faith), these are just part of a multi-faceted personality that we get to see develop over the course of the film.
Are either of the two characters "heroes"? In the conventional narrative sense, maybe not; Chariots of Fire doesn't let either of them slip into the simple outlines of being the triumphant hero (or the tragic hero either, for that matter).
As the contemporary frame of Chariots of Fire reminds us, these are, and were, real people who really lived and really experienced these events; they can indeed be heroic figures, but always in the complicated, messy way that real human beings can be heroes.
This review of Chariots of Fire (1981) was written by Kevin D on 29 Dec 2009.
Chariots of Fire has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
