Chariots of Fire
1981, Drama, 2h 3m
73 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Decidedly slower and less limber than the Olympic runners at the center of its story, the film nevertheless manages to make effectively stirring use of its spiritual and patriotic themes. Read critic reviews
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Chariots of Fire Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Harold M. Abrahams
Eric Liddell
Master of Trinity (as Sir John Gielgud)
Lord Andrew Lindsay
Aubrey Montague
Sam Mussabini
News & Interviews for Chariots of Fire
Critic Reviews for Chariots of Fire
All Critics (73) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (13)
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It reminds us of the affirmative aspects of life, of the hope that endures in it as well as the cynicism.
April 26, 2018 | Full Review… -
Despite its bombastic tendencies, Chariots has a healthy glow that's charming.
August 4, 2015 | Full Review… -
The film is not just about the race between Abrahams, the Jewish law student (Ben Cross), and Scottish missionary Eric Liddell (the late Ian Charleson). It's a character study and a social history too.
February 21, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
From the opening scene of pale young men racing barefoot along the beach, full of hope and elation, backed by Vangelis's now famous anthem, the film is utterly compelling.
February 21, 2015 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review… -
Oddly, for a film about triumph over adversity, there's nothing as uplifting as the opening and closing jogs along a windswept beach.
February 21, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
A movie that, with the help of Vangelis Papathanassiou's wonderfully stirring music, lifts the spirits to a new high.
February 17, 2015 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Chariots of Fire
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Jun 09, 2016It is certainly overrated and doesn't justify the many Oscars it won/was nominated to, but still it is technically competent (especially Vangelis' music and the film's editing) even if it is also a bit too conventional and slows down in its second half almost to the speed of a turtle.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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May 13, 2013Depth is all you can count on for this historical drama to move you, religious or not.Max G Super Reviewer
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Nov 07, 2012Okay, so I'm superficial, but the CLOTHES in this movie are breathtaking! As are all the vehicles--cars with wood paneling, sleeper cars in trains with same paneling and little servants who bring tea to that same sleeper car to wake you. It made me long for a world I've experienced only on PBS mini-series and made me long to dress like they do in this movie although I would probably be considered mad. Several social points I thought were brilliantly conveyed: the idea of immigrant as striver; the idea that aristocracy actually loathes outstanding achievement (the gentleman's C--see George W. Bush and all the Kennedys' report cards from Harvard and Yale); and the notion of sports--in this case field and track--as a physical way to prove something about your character, which must be why people get so upset when professional athletes do something that mars that character like take PEDs or give in to carnal urges. One particularly telling moment about class: the Prince of Wales invites the American runner (who is obviously of his class) to lunch at his club, but tells Abrahamson to "do your best, that's all anyone can expect." I found it actually chilling.Bathsheba M Super Reviewer
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Nov 02, 2012On one hand soapy and fraught with bathos, on another superbly acted. And the music is pretty terrible in a modern context. But chariots of fire DOES work and is a pleasure to watch, albeit sprinkled with some intermittent grimaces.Jeff L Super Reviewer
Chariots of Fire Quotes
| Harold Abrahams: | If I can't win, I won't run! |
| Sybil Gordon: | If you won't run, you can't win. |
| Eric Liddell: | Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end?... From within. |
| Eric Liddell: | Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. |
| Eric Liddell: | I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. |
| Eric Liddell: | I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure. |
| Rev J.D. Liddell: | You can glorify God by peeling a potato if you peel it to perfection. |
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