Not bad!
Way better than many of these sorts of flicks.
This one actually had a bit more backstory, and the Bulgarian filming location was really beautiful, particularly the architecture and the art.
Ben Cross (Cardinal Matthews, here, but more famously remembered from 1981's Chariots of Fire) passed away 10 days after filming his part in August 2020.
Talk about full-circle; Cross's acting career was bookended, therefore, by Chariots and Prey.
Here's more: The title, Chariots of Fire, derives from William Blake's poem (And did those feet in ancient time) from the preface to his epic Milton: A Poem in Two Books, one of a collection of writings known as 'the Prophetic Books.' The line from the poem ("Bring me my Chariot of fire!") draws on the story of 2 Kings 2:11, wherein the Old Testament prophet Elijah is taken directly to heaven: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." The phrase has become a byword for divine energy, hence the movie title.
Here's And did those feet in ancient time in its entirety:
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.
Anyhoo, an active Freemason in his final decade (and one who died in Vienna), Cross participated in some 102 roles across 48 years on stage and screen, easily 40% of which had something to do with 'searching' and/or faith.
May he rest in peace.
