Aguirre: The Wrath of God

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Aguirre: The Wrath of God

1972

1h 34m

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a ruthless Spanish conquistador, vies for power while part of an expedition in Peru to find El Dorado, the mythical seven cities of gold. Accompanied by his daughter, Flores (Cecilia Rivera), Aguirre faces off against his superior, Don Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra), and grows increasingly volatile after seizing control of the group. As Aguirre presses deeper into the Amazonian jungle, he descends further into madness.

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Critics Consensus

A haunting journey of natural wonder and tangible danger, Aguirre transcends epic genre trappings and becomes mythological by its own right.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Apr 30, 2024

It's a descent into madness as vertiginous as Heart of Darkness, and a portrait of futility as monumental in its irony as Shelley's Ozymandias.

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Roger Clarke

Independent (UK)

Apr 30, 2024

Never has human folly seemed so vivid, rapacious and primeval.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Jun 7, 2013

5/5

The whole movie merges landscapes and character with such force that, once seen, you never forget it.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jul 28, 2026

... the imagery is astonishing: jungles layered in mist and fog, broken by a glittering train of armored soldiers with their slaves, their guns, and thrones carrying improbably dressed and coiffed noble women.

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Oct 28, 2025

5/5

The rare absurdist-realist intimate epic, Aguirre is an impossible-to-recreate fever dream of power-mad colonial gold-lust run amok.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Aug 25, 2025

5/5

…you’ll come for the jungle vistas and Peruvian-pan pipes, but you’ll stay for the intensity of the drama as Aguirre, The Wrath of God demonstrates why Werner Herzog’s film is still a benchmark for barnstorming cinema…a truly unique, epic adventure movie…

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Bigbossbalrog T

@Jigokju Sep 28, 2026

Herzog at his most haunting and cinematic. What a fantastic film! Arguably his best, but I still prefer Nosferatu the Vampyre

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Laura S

@Lauraqueen Sep 28, 2026

The greatest cinematic achievement ever. Such haunting and amazing visuals.

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Alain E

@AlainE Sep 8, 2026

An allegory that creates some impressive images, but hardly a masterpiece for the ages. Kinsky indeed had a very impactful face. On Cineverse.

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Bucky R

@Bucky3085 Sep 6, 2026

I've seen this several times cuz it's good.

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KarthiK P.

@madkarthi Jul 15, 2026

It is amazing. The cinematography is stunning. The real locations are beautiful. The art is wonderful. Every frame looks so amazing. I like the complete real location scenes. The story is like a madman story. I like it in fact. It is not lengthy. It just goes smooth and fast. I like that. The 4K remastered quality is so amazing.

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Frank H.

@FrankLikesFilm Apr 7, 2026

When people say "you couldn't make this movie today" movies like this are what they should be referring to because this required an absolute madman to create and I'm glad he did.

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Werner Herzog

Director

Klaus Kinski

Don Lope de Aguirre

Ruy Guerra

Don Pedro de Ursua

Helena Rojo

Inez

Del Negro

Brother Gaspar de Carvajal

Cecilia Rivera

Flores

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Synopsis

Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a ruthless Spanish conquistador, vies for power while part of an expedition in Peru to find El Dorado, the mythical seven cities of gold. Accompanied by his daughter, Flores (Cecilia Rivera), Aguirre faces off against his superior, Don Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra), and grows increasingly volatile after seizing control of the group. As Aguirre presses deeper into the Amazonian jungle, he descends further into madness.

Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Werner Herzog
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog
Distributor: New Yorker Films
Production Co: Hessischer Rundfunk, Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2017
Runtime: 1h 34m

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