n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This movie can be graded differently. If you are looking for a movie that stays true to the content of the bible, this movie is very subpar. They rewrite many scenes of the bible. I understand maybe adding scenes (like filler scenes) but to take parts from the bible and then re-write them can be upsetting. If you are looking for a movie that somewhat tells the story as a whole of sampson, then i can see giving it 5 or 6 stars. I unfortunately saw the 1949 version and because of such, I couldn't help but compare these two, and it made this movie look like a kids play. Three boring hours this movie was. Two of the three hours was pure talk.

This is the third version of the Biblical tale that I've watched - or fourth, if you include the peplum SAMSON (1961); the best of the lot, clearly, remains Cecil B. De Mille's 1949 spectacular.Since this is part of a series of made-for-TV films highlighting famous stories from the Bible, one is surprised to find a celebrated and talented director such as Nicolas Roeg involved - though they all managed to attract a vast array of international and upcoming stars. That said, Roeg's career has been steadily on a downhill slide ever since the mid-80s - surely one of the saddest declines in recent memory! This film was actually written by the director's frequent collaborator Allan Scott (including the masterpiece DON'T LOOK NOW [1973]), but the magic is seldom in evidence on this particular occasion - and the end result is as bland as its TV origins suggest...Even so, it's not entirely worthless if clearly overly-padded at a length of nearly 3 hours: while the look of the film is curiously drab, the star cast offers compensations - best of all, perhaps, are Dennis Hopper (as a prescient Philistine General), Michael Gambon (the Philistine ruler) and Daniel Massey (as a learned Jewish elder). Still, though Liz Hurley is ideally cast as Delilah, her performance is too modern - and, consequently, the character's ultimate redemption lacks conviction; as for Eric Thal's Samson, the script may have made him more conflicted than Victor Mature's take in the De Mille version - but again, rather than evoke the traits one should associate with this Biblical character, the actor's boyish looks merely bring to mind the pumped-up heroes of juvenile sword-and-sorcery films and TV series of recent vintage...Incidentally, I only rented this because my father had been whining about "The Bible Collection" on DVD for months (I brought him MOSES [1995] at the same time but, even if it featured Ben Kingsley, Frank Langella and Christopher Lee, opted not to watch it myself); eventually, he too - who had caught many of Hollywood's classic historical epics when new - was ultimately unimpressed, and readily admitted that these newer incarnations offered no competition!

When I first saw this Made For TV version of Samson and Delilah, I enjoyed it's background and also some of the details Nicholas Roeg decided to include. I liked the way it followed the other Bible Series that Lorenzo Minoli and RAI-It produced in the late 1990's. Eric Thals' Samson was really impact-full and stellar even though my hat goes off to Victor Mature's effort in Demille's 1949 film. What really was outstanding was in the temple scene Samson yells "At last, o God of Israel!" when he destroys his enemies plus himself due to being blind. Elizabeth Hurley's Delilah was not that bad even though perhaps Jessica Alba would have done a glamorous job. Too bad that she wasn't offered the role.Anyone who enjoyed this film may want to watch the 1984 TV version with Anthony Hamilton,Belinda Bauer, and Max Von Sydow.

Although their story in the Old Testament only spans three chapters in the Book of Judges, the popular tale of Samson and Delilah is stretched out into a three hour entry mini series here. All the characters (many not mentioned by name in the scriptures) are elaborated upon, as is the situation between the Israelites and the Philistines. The Gaza court is well (if a bit predictably) portrayed: Michael Gambon as wise King Hanun is constantly bickering with his hotheaded (and red bearded) son Sidqa (Ben Becker). Well cast Liz Hurley plays the part of Delilah both slutty and posh as the king's niece, while top billed Dennis Hopper portrays the smart and sarcastic General Tariq. Hopper gets some of the best lines, but fails to give them that George Sanders delivery and is the only one looking out of place in these settings and costumes.Delilah only really figures in the last part of Samson's story, but there are enough scenes featuring her and the Philistines to justify her name in the title. Actually, the two main characters almost meet in part one, where she turns out to be the main reason why Samson fought that animatronic lion from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. In the title role, Eric Thal is a virtual babe magnet himself, rescuing the outspoken Naomi (Jale Arikan) before choosing a Philistine bride (Deborah Caprioglio) to the dismay of his parents (reliable Diana Rigg and Paul Freeman). Screenwriter Alan Scott put great emphasis on Samson's search for a purpose in life, making him comes across a very modern (i. e. constantly worried) hero.One point repeatedly made in the Book of Judges is the lawless nature of this time period (between 1200 - 1000 b.c.). This is addressed in a new sub plot concerning the brothers Jehiel and Amram. They betray Samson in order to become rulers themselves, leading to the familiar scene involving the jawbone of an ass. Most of these action sequences are filmed with skewed angles, making Samson look even more like a comic book superhero. To this effect they could not show him mishandling 300 foxes to burn down enemy crops (as it was written). Unfortunately the chapter about tearing the town gates from their hinges is more implied than shown, but this does lead to an interesting bit of foreshadowing for Dennis Hopper's character in the temple. Director Nic Roeg makes effective use of flashbacks during two crucial scenes, adding greater meaning to both of them. First the love scene between Samson and Delilah is interwoven with scenes from the lion fight and secondly Samson relives his ultimate betrayal when forced to 'witness' the defeat of the Israelite army. The latter scene also resolves the plot strand concerning Jehiel and Amram in a satisfactory way and indeed every character arc is neatly resolved before the end. Shame about all those bouncing foam pillars during the climax though.8 out of 10