one of the very best films of the 1980s

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2006)

This film probably won't appeal to everyone. Some kids and teens and those with short attention-spans will dislike the film's deliberate and sometimes leisurely pace or dislike that the historical context for the film is non-existent unless you are familiar with or care about 20th century history. In other words, those who love Friday 13th part XLV or anything made by Pauley Shore will be bored to death and should avoid this film like the plague (as they might accidentally learn something).
Now, this does not mean this movie is for elitist snobs. Nope--you can be an average bloke and still become mesmerized by the terrific and incredibly realistic acting, gorgeous cinematography, wonderful costumes, brilliant script and lovely music by Vangelis.
The movie is a generally true story about two parallel lives--Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. Both were destined to win the gold medal at the 1924 Olympics but the actual journey there and the lives they led were so different. How they were woven together to form one beautiful tapestry is why this movie is great. See this film and don't worry that it won the Oscar for Best Picture--this is one of the few over the past several decades that both deserved it AND was entertaining (something the Oscar people usually do not consider).