Driving by his deep will of revenge from Messale, his best friend, who after many years of absence, comes to turn down his life, Judah Ben Hur, a young kind and rich Jewish prince, who has a comfortable life, as he has sent him to slavery, the thing that makes his rage and returns to revenge.
At 212 minutes it is far too long, and large swathes of the action appear redundant or unnecessary. "Bigger than Ben-Hur!" they say. That may not be a compliment.
Antagony & Ecstasy
December 06, 2016
The most egregiously boring movie ever graced with the Best Picture Oscar... though in fairness, egregious boredom is one of the cornerstones of the Bible epic genre.
Although it is a spectacle film, the story of how a man takes on the tyranny of the Romans, with all sorts of horrible consequences to himself and his family, is powerful and gripping.
Mr. Wyler and his money-free producers have smartly and effectively laid stress on the powerful and meaningful personal conflicts that are strong in this old heroic tale.
Los Angeles Times
June 05, 2002
If we later came to realize that movies could be a whole lot better than Ben-Hur, that still doesn't detract from the enjoyment the film still provides.
Some critics believe that William Wyler's box-office smash is no match for the 1925 silent version, but there's no denying that the race that forms the famous climax is one of the most iconic sequences in Hollywood history.
[VIDEO ESSAY] It's worth sitting through four hours of Charlton Heston's hammy pregnant pauses of strained dialogue and toothy grimaces just to savor the legendary larger-than-life marathon where single rider chariots...
