Chariots of Fire

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  • Trailer for Chariots of Fire

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Hugh Hudson

Producer:

David Puttnam

Writer:

Colin Welland

Runtime:

2hr 5m

Synopsis

Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.

Cast

  • Nicholas Farrell
  • Nigel Havers
  • Ian Charleson
  • Ben Cross
  • Daniel Gerroll
  • Ian Holm
  • John Gielgud
  • Lindsay Anderson
  • Nigel Davenport
  • Cheryl Campbell

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.4
84.0K
42.9K
11.5K
RATINGS 384 FANS
3.4
  • Apr 20, 2015

    A film so English, there is a scene where they all sing about how English they are. No chariots were set on fire during the making of this film.

    923 Likes
    Dermot Arnold
    Dermot Arnold
    Nov 11, 2017

    Can you believe this repetitive and unexceptional movie won Best Picture over Raiders of the Lost Ark and On Golden Pond? that Vangelis soundtrack is pretty great tho

    423 Likes
    Georgia Coley
    Georgia Coley
    Jul 12, 2022

    They’d be a lot faster if they didn’t always run in slow motion

    337 Likes
    king Joe
    king Joe
  •
    Jan 17, 2023

    Perhaps the most English film I’ve ever seen.

    226 Likes
    Kylo
    Kylo
    Aug 4, 2019

    In winning the Best Picture Oscar, Chariots of Fire was condemned to an image of mediocrity, its most common context for discussion being that it stole the award from Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's true that two films nominated that year - Raiders and Reds - were better than…

    219 Likes
    Albie Hay
    Albie Hay
    Dec 6, 2020

    But what are they running FROM

    220 Likes
    Chris Feil
    Chris Feil
  •
    Apr 12, 2022

    Tom Cruise would love this movie

    217 Likes
    oliviathebi
    oliviathebi
    Nov 2, 2019

    the racist old white men in this movie be like: wtf a jewish guy at cambridge 😳 he do be running kinda fast doe 🤔🏃

    184 Likes
    Vivian
    Vivian
    Mar 1, 2021

    at least I got to hear that song!

    169 Likes
    Morgan
    Morgan

Queue Community Reviews

80%
Community 1,923
❤️ LOVE
18%
👍 LIKE
62%
😐 MEH
14%
👎 DISLIKE
6%
Top Reviews
  • Shark
    Shark loved
    Chariots of Fire

    Powerful true story of two Brits preparing for the 1924 Paris Olympics, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, one a Jewish student attending Cambridge, the other a Scotsman born to devout Christian missionaries in China. Iconic music by Vangelis and beautiful cinematography.

    2Y
    MovieDaddy
    MovieDaddy disliked
    Chariots of Fire

    Not a bad movie, but can’t really recommend it. This is painfully 80s and it shows. The only takeaway is the score, everything else is instantly forgettable.

    3Y
    Xanna
    Xanna is "meh" on
    Chariots of Fire

    The music literally only appears at the start, not even on the end race. We were hyping ourselves up for nothing :(

    1Y
  • Platypus Lord
    Platypus Lord liked
    Chariots of Fire

    Themes of motivation, purpose, and faith. Another great score by Vangelis.

    3Y
    Mickerdoo
    Mickerdoo is "meh" on
    Chariots of Fire

    Just seemed a little rigid. Kudos to Liddell to sticking to his guns.

    3Y
    Travis Bickle
    Travis Bickle loved
    Chariots of Fire

    Great classic. Kinda drags but the soundtrack makes it worth it.

    3Y
  • Shelhu971
    Shelhu971 liked
    Chariots of Fire

    Some movies are very ‘cerebral’ so good but a bit low key

    4Y
    Grace
    Grace is "meh" on
    Chariots of Fire

    It was good but not the most interesting story line

    3Y
    Praggio18
    Praggio18 liked
    Chariots of Fire

    The music. The running. The Britishness of it all.

    2Y

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

78
metacritic
Based on 19 Critics
6.9

USER SCORE (24)

Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Reviews
75

The beautifully told but predictable story of two athletes who competed in the 100-meter dash for England in the 1924 Olympics...The film has received choruses of praise prior to its nationwide opening this week. Although it is extremely well made, I frankly don't understand what the shouting is about. Good, yes; great, no. [25 Dec 1981, p.56]

Metacritic review by Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
100

Chariots of Fire is one of the best films of recent years, a memory of a time when men still believed you could win a race if only you wanted to badly enough.

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
100

The filmmaking is immaculate and the emotional wallop undeniable.

Metacritic review by Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Chariots of Fire?
The movie is 2hr 5min long.
What's Chariots of Fire about?
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
Who's the cast of Chariots of Fire?
  • Nicholas Farrell as Aubrey Montague
  • Nigel Havers as Lord Andrew Lindsay
  • Ian Charleson as Eric Liddell
  • Ben Cross as Harold Abrahams
  • Daniel Gerroll as Henry Stallard
  • Ian Holm as Sam Mussabini
  • John Gielgud as Master of Trinity
  • Lindsay Anderson as Master of Caius
  • Nigel Davenport as Lord Birkenhead
  • Cheryl Campbell as Jennie Liddell
Who's the director behind Chariots of Fire?
Hugh Hudson directed Chariots of Fire.
Who produced Chariots of Fire?
David Puttnam produced Chariots of Fire.