I watched both "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965) and "Ben Hur" (1957) since seeing "The Passion." The reason why the Jews didn't go off on these films is because both portray the ROMANS as the ones who really wanted to kill Jesus, not so much the Jews. In Ben Hur, the Jewish involvement in Christ's death is completely left out.
But the gosples never say a word about the Romans wanting to kill Jesus for any reason. The myths about the Romans being mad at Jesus because he was inciting rebellion is pure Hollywood left-liberal myth; no such accounts are reported in the gospels, nor in any other historical document that exists from those times.
All four gospels are quite clear that the Sanhedrin was out to get Jesus, and only the Sanhedrin. (Though there are accounts of other lay Jews wanting to kill him because of alleged blasphemy....)
Mel Gibson wanted his movie to be true to the gospel accounts, as well as the stations of the cross. Very little of the "visions" of that silly nun are given credence, though one that was a direct result of her vision was Mary wiping up the blood with towels given to her by Pilate's wife.
All four gospel accounts clearly portray the Sanhedrin as the ones who wanted Jesus dead, and they were the ones who manipulated Pilate into doing the deed for them.
The reason many Jews are mad at this particular version of the Passion, is because this is the first "popular" movie version of that event that really tried to stay as true to the gospel accounts as possible. Those accounts all portray the Sanhedrin in a bad light.
Those Jews who are deeply offended by this movie are only identifying with the Sanhedrin, to the exclusion of all the other Jewish characters portrayed in this film, like Mary, Jesus, the apostles, etc. All of whom were just as Jewish as the Sanhedrin, but differed with them on some key theological (if not political) points.
It should be also be noted that according to history, Ciaphas, the high priest, was appointed by the Romans, as were ALL high priests during the Roman occupation.
It's logical that Pilate and a lot of other Romans would have some reason to fear Jesus, because of the Jewish hopes of a political Messiah that He raised. That would mean an uprising which would be a major headache for the Romans. But it was the Sanhedrin who (in earthly view) fed Him into this buzzsaw.