Simply One Of The Best Film's Made

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2005)

What can I say? I had heard that this was a great film but thought only of it as an early version of Gladiator (2000) but I was wrong. Ben-Hur has all the parts that kept Gladiator from being an unforgettable film.
Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is the young and rich Jewish prince of Jerusalem. He leads a quiet life and enjoys all the luxuries of a 1st century prince. Judah establishes a relationship with Roman soldier Messala (Stephen Boyd) and are happy to meet again years later while Messala commands the new legion moving into Jerusalem.
But after a freak accident, Messala betrays Judah and the prince is sent to the galleys. But Judah never gives up hope and swears he will come back seeking revenge. Chalrton Heston is brilliant, he's a strong lead role, and delivers an unbelievable performance.
Along the path of the story, we are confronted with a variety of biblical characters including: Pontius Pilate, Jesus Christ, Mary, and Balthasar (one of the three wise men). The film is fun overall. It doesn't hold the feeling of a 50's flick but a modern movie. The dialog is pretty good, the acting is at top game, and the sets are amazing for the time.
Above all, the stadium where the chariot races are held and the sea battle are unbelievable. The film makes sense with a message of revenge and forgetting the past. The reason for the extra title 'A Tale of the Christ' pretty much has to do with message (Jesus' character is only in the film for about five minutes). This is probably one of the greatest film I have ever seen and recommend it to anyone who wants to see an epic.
Ben-Hur. Starring: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Finlay Currie, Haya Harareet, and Sam Jaffe.
5 out of 5 Stars.