Ben-Hur (1959)

Ben-Hur rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.1/10· 270K votes

Rotten Tomatoes88%

Metacritic90%

TMDb7.9/10· 3K votes

With 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.1/10 on IMDb and 90/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Ben-Hur

In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.

Cast of Ben-Hur

• 

  Charlton Heston

  as Judah Ben-Hur

• 

  Stephen Boyd

  as Messala

• 

  Hugh Griffith

  as Scheich Ildirim

• 

  Jack Hawkins

  as Quintus Arrius

• 

  Haya Harareet

  as Esther

• 

  Martha Scott

  as Miriam

• 

  Cathy O'Donnell

  as Tirzah

• 

  Sam Jaffe

  as Simonides

• 

  Finlay Currie

  as Balthasar

• 

  Frank Thring

  as Pontius Pilatus

• 

  George Relph

  as Tiberius Caesar

• 

  André Morell

  as Sextus

Ben-Hur facts

Budget

$15M

Box office

$164M

Our take on Ben-Hur

William Wyler's 1959 epic unfolds in Roman-occupied Judea, where a Jewish aristocrat opposed to the occupation is reunited with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander. That reunion sets off a sweeping saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge and faith, tracing one man's fall and long road back across a canvas of empire and personal reckoning. Grand in scale and running long, it's classic large-format Hollywood storytelling built on spectacle, moral struggle and the collision of loyalty and conviction. Best suited to viewers who savor stately historical epics and don't mind a substantial runtime, it rewards patience with genuine dramatic weight and the ambition of old-school filmmaking.