Chariots of Fire

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, Chariots of Fire is available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the UK on Disney Plus right now. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 1,048 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Ben Cross anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Chariots of Fire earns its spot. Chariots of Fire trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest. Ben Cross and Ian Charleson lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. Chariots of Fire came out in 1981. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, Chariots of Fire delivers. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Ben Cross carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.