Chariots of Fire (1981)

A drama based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) is a devout Scottish Christian running to honour God, while Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) runs to overcome prejudice about his Judaism. Their stories are told in parallel, until they converge.  

Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, John Gielgud also star.

The film hasn’t dated especially well, but the synth soundtrack by Vangelis is excellent and I like the fact that the sci-fi synth tones jar with the 1920s visuals. 

Overall, I was disappointed. I'd expected something much more stirring and inspirational. Instead, the drama seems flat and the middle of the film really sags. The slow-motion effect is wildly over-used, becoming clichéd and almost almost comical. And, unfortunately, when Harold wins his all-important race it’s filmed and directed in a way that seems oddly anticlimactic.

The Whistle Blower (1986)

Spy thriller. Michael Caine stars as a retired naval officer and Korean War veteran. Nigel Havers is his son, a linguist working for GCHQ who is compromised after finding out too much about the true workings of the British establishment. 

The plot can be complex and difficult to follow. Still not sure why the Russian spy was held in a fake hotel constructed in an aircraft hangar, but all of this probably makes more sense in the original novel by John Hale. 

Caine is absolutely excellent, showing more diversity and range in his acting than he’s often credited for. Havers is likeable, too, despite his years of TV overexposure. There are also parts for James Fox and John Gielgud. 

It’s a consistently engrossing low-budget English drama that’s worth seeing if only for the scene in which Michael Caine gets his friend (Barry Foster) drunk on vodka while concealing his own sobriety.