Directed by William Wyler with a screenplay by novelist Gore Vidal, the 1959 Ben-Hur was the most expensive film back then. It ran 212 minutes and, with Heston as the lead, became an enduring piece of movie history; it is the 14th highest-grossing movie. Our protagonist, Ben-Hur (Huston), a Jewish prince in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, and antagonist, his adoptive brother, Messala Severus (Kebbell), remain intact. One of the strengths of Ben-Hur 1959, was the careful attention to detail. The best thing about this new Ben-Hur, written by Keith Clarke and John Ridley, is that it delivers superb, adrenaline-pumping action sequences which resemble scenes from the Fast And Furious movies.

Source: New Strait Times September 22, 2016 06:28 UTC