Ben-Hur
Dir: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro,
Nazanin Boniadi, Pilou Asbaek, and Morgan Freeman
124 Minutes
Paramount Pictures
“Ben-Hur” is a film that even the most casual filmgoer remembers. However, there
are actually quite a few versions of "Ben-Hur" out, starting as early
as a silent film in 1907, but the one everyone remembers is the 1959 Charlton
Heston starring, William Wyler directed version. Reimagining this
sword-and-sandals extravaganza seems more than just a daunting task, it seems
like a foolish one. But in the current state of film nothing is sacred and
there is nothing wrong with that. Today we have visionary directors who create
amazing works of art, we have performers who bring stunning life to
multifaceted characters, and we have technology that makes what used to take
days easily happen at the push of the button. This logic makes a new, updated
version of “Ben-Hur” seem completely reasonable; and with film icon Morgan Freeman and
imaginative director Timur Bekmambetov, who made 2008’s “Wanted”, involved it would seem like “Ben-Hur” is in good
hands. It would seem.
Judah Ben-Hur (Jack
Huston) is a Jewish prince living in a Roman-occupied Jerusalem. Judah is the
much beloved son of his esteemed family, his adopted brother Messala (Toby
Kebbell) however is looked down upon so he takes every opportunity to display
his worth to the family. Messala leaves the family to become a soldier in the
Roman army; Judah stays in Jerusalem and marries his beloved Esther (Nazanin
Boniadi). Messala, becoming a hero, returns to Jerusalem to oversee Pontius
Pilate’s
(Pilou Asbaek) safe travels through the city. An incident occurs during the visit
and Judah is accused of treason by Messala and banished into slavery. Judah
waits years in slavery before returning to Jerusalem for revenge.
Mr. Bekmambetov knows his
way around an action scene, dazzling and beautifully so throughout his catalog
at times. The highlights of this film, and when it firmly stands on two feet,
occur when the action takes over. The first-person perspective on board a
sinking ship being rowed by whipped slaves is utter confusion and tension; it’s a grimy moment that introduces
the journey towards revenge for Judah. The chariot race in the coliseum is frenzied
mayhem, a dirt storm of trampled racers, stomping horses, and screaming
onlookers. It’s
the culminating moment for Judah, a moment that should be both exhilarating and
emotional, a moment that should signify the changes that Judah has encountered
throughout his journey. These moments serve mostly as effects-laden
distractions but in minuscule flashes you can see what Mr. Bekmambetov was
reaching for, simply and boldly a film about revenge and redemption.
While Mr. Bekmambetov can
construct great action scenes he has always struggled with the human elements.
These extravagant moments of spectacle are devoid of any kind of emotional
drama that would display the anger, grief, and confusion that divided two brothers
and placed them in an arena where death is seemingly inescapable. In many other
instances you can feel the struggling script grasping for any kind of emotion,
whether the lopsided romantic relationships, the heavy handed moments of
misguided religious movements that lack any sort of resonance, or the divisions
pushed along that connect conflicts of the powerful and the seemingly
powerless. It all ends up being a disordered mix of incomplete ideas.
“Ben-Hur” tries to be a film that offers the characteristics associated with
revenge films while also providing qualities associated with redemptive moral
tales. In small ways the film succeeds in displaying a journey punctuated by an
awakening through faith. It also ends up being an uneven mess of themes
punctuated by moments of emotionless action. Still, in the reboot film world,
there is always hope that the next version of “Ben-Hur” will be better.
Monte’s Rating
2.00 out of 5.00
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