THE many inaccuracies and anachronisms in the fifth version of Lew Wallace’s 1880 historical novel made for the big screen are irreversible sins of commission.

Here is a select short list:

• The bridles and other tack on the horses, both ridden and in the chariot race, are of modern, not antique, design.
• The sharp eye will discern machined seams in the trousers worn by a woman and a visible panty line.
• The screenplay by Keith Clarke and John Ridley is peppered with “okay”, a term originating in the US some 1800 years after the film’s period as a joke abbreviation for “Orl korrect”.

Hollywood in its early years was notorious for ignoring animal welfare considerations. In Timur Bekmambetov’s film, crashes, somersaults and other equestrian misfortunes are frequent. The end credits assure us that everything about the animals during filming was orl korrect.

As the credits rolled, a grey-haired lady told me that we had just seen a different story from the one in William Wyler’s four-hour 1959 version (which, for my sins, I have never seen).

The thematic backbone of Clarke and Ridley’s screenplay is forgiveness rather than revenge.

This 123-minute film is an expensive-looking, sword-and-sandal adventure based on a conflict between occupying Roman legions and followers of a man whom the prefect of Judea in 36AD ordered to be crucified. As its most rewarding element, you might rate Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of a Bedouin chief with a passion for gambling and a team of chariot horses needing a driver. But in that I wear my prejudice on my sleeve – Freeman’s vocal timbre enhances any film in which he plays.

At Hoyts, Capital 6, Palace Electric and Limelight