Film

Ben-Hur

Other titles called Ben-Hur: the 1959 film.

Timotei Toby Kebbell's Messala betrays childhood friend Judah Ben-Hur into slavery. Years later, Ben-Hur returns transformed—stronger, harder, bent on revenge through chariot racing. This remake updates Wyler's classic for modern spectacle: sweeping action, moral weight, faith tested by fury. It works best as pure entertainment, though it never quite settles whether it's asking something serious.

TMDb rating2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a sweeping, old-fashioned revenge epic where the spectacle is staged with real muscle and the friendship at its heart carries the emotion.

Skip it if you tire of solemn, sincere epics; this one takes itself seriously and rarely loosens up for levity or breathing room.

What it asks of you: Settle in for just over two hours: a patient, unhurried build through slower stretches, then big set pieces, all delivered in a grave, earnest register.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Gladiator2000

Russell Crowe's wronged warrior rises from enslavement to face his betrayer in an arena. The same engine—injustice, vengeance, redemption through combat—rebuilt for maximum emotional impact and visceral thrills.

But The pacing can sag between action sequences. Ridley Scott's film is beloved; this is the template Ben-Hur follows, so you might find comparisons frustrating.

Gladiator poster

The Greatest Story Ever Told1965

George Stevens' epic retelling of Christ's life gives you the other half of Ben-Hur's spiritual equation. Sweeping, reverent, and genuinely moving—a film that asks what faith costs.

But It's nearly four hours and deliberately slow-paced. The episodic structure means it never builds momentum the way a traditional narrative does.

The Greatest Story Ever Told poster

The Ten Commandments1956

DeMille's spectacle uses scale and human drama in exactly the balance Ben-Hur attempts. Charlton Heston leads an enormous cast through oppression and liberation. Pure, unapologetic epic filmmaking.

But The dialogue can sound stilted. Some will find the earnestness dated; others will call that authenticity. It depends what you want from ceremony.

The Ten Commandments poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ben-Hur

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

A Tale of Two Cities1989

Both are revenge fantasies where the protagonist's greatest opponent is also their oldest wound. Both ask whether returning to destroy your enemy is freedom or enslavement.

BBC miniseries about resurrection and betrayal wrapped in the French Revolution. Like Ben-Hur, it's about a man destroyed and returned, but it swaps arena spectacle for intrigue and asks whether vengeance or sacrifice matters more. Chris Pine as Sydney Carton.

But It's BBC production values, so intimate rather than epic. If you're hungry for the scale and action Ben-Hur provides, this will feel small and slow.

A Tale of Two Cities poster
More like this (8)

Masada1981

Peter O'Toole leads a miniseries about Jewish resistance and Roman siege. It's grittier and more politically complex than Ben-Hur, with better dialogue and sharper character work.

But It's a 1981 TV production, so the scope is smaller. The pacing is glacial by modern standards—this one takes its time.

Masada poster

The Silver Chalice1954

Virginia Mayo and Jack Palance orbit the early Christian world in this underseen biblical drama. Earnest, strange, and genuinely thoughtful about faith and forgiveness in ways Ben-Hur reaches for but misses.

But The production values are obviously dated. It's also obscure—finding it and sitting through it requires real commitment.

The Silver Chalice poster

Spartacus1960

Kirk Douglas plays a slave-turned-rebel who fights Rome itself. Kubrick directs with intelligence and scale. It has everything Ben-Hur does, but with stronger writing and a political spine.

But At over three hours, it demands your full attention. The pacing is deliberate; there are long stretches without action.

Spartacus poster

The Robe1953

Richard Burton in the first CinemaScope epic, about a Roman soldier haunted by Christ's crucifixion. It has camp and sincerity in equal measure, and it's genuinely fun in a way Ben-Hur strains to be.

But The religious messaging is very blunt. It also feels like a museum piece—interesting as history, less engaging as drama.

The Robe poster

Barabbas1961

Anthony Quinn as the criminal released instead of Christ. Darker and weirder than expected, with real moral ambiguity. It occupies the same biblical world but thinks harder about suffering and grace.

But It's grim and occasionally confused about what it's trying to say. The tone wavers between exploitation and theology in ways that don't always work.

Barabbas poster

The War Lord1965

Charlton Heston in a medieval drama about power and desire. It's rough, violent, and morally messy—a medieval Ben-Hur that asks harder questions about what men do with authority.

But It's obscure for a reason. The narrative is choppy, and the sexual politics haven't aged well. You have to work to find the good stuff.

The War Lord poster

Dersu Uzala1975

Both explore how trauma reshapes a person and whether someone who has been broken can ever truly reconcile with the past. Both find nobility in endurance.

Akira Kurosawa's film about a Russian officer and his Siberian guide—betrayal, loyalty, and redemption across a landscape that humbles both men. It has Ben-Hur's moral weight without the spectacle. Quiet, devastating, perfect.

But It's in Russian and Japanese. At over two hours, it moves at a contemplative pace. If you want action, you'll be disappointed; if you want to feel something real, you're in.

Dersu Uzala poster

Venom1981

Both feature a benevolent mentor figure (Freeman's Sheik, Kinski's equivalent) who shelters a wronged protagonist—but Venom asks what happens when mercy collides with survival, rather than celebrating the mentor's wisdom.

Klaus Kinski as Sheik Ilderim opposite Sterling Hayden—a siege film where virtuous captors and vicious prisoners are locked together. It's not biblical, but it's brutal, smart, and genuinely tense. Forgotten treasure.

But It's a 1981 action thriller with dated effects and B-movie sensibilities. The premise sounds exploitative. The film is weird and sometimes ugly.

Venom poster

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