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Aguirre: The Wrath of God

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Aguirre: The Wrath of God

Released Apr 3, 1972

1h 34m

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

91%

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.

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)

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.

Apr 30, 2024

Full Review

Roger Clarke

Independent (UK)

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

Apr 30, 2024

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

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

Rated: 5/5

Jun 7, 2013

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

At once poetic and brutal, dreamy and nightmarish, beautiful and hideous.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 16, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Cosmic objets d’art...

Nov 10, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aguirre, the Wrath of God shows Herzog's mutual affection and abhorrence for Nature, how it remains ambivalent to human desire and cruel to our often maniacal ambitions.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 14, 2022

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Jim S

I just think all the high ratings for this film are a result of group-think and the fear to say it is terrible when others rave about it. To call this an art house film is even a stretch. The dialogue seems like that of poorly dubbed foreign film. It is like a 12 year old boy stole his dads old 16mm camera and shot what his pre-teen, drug addled brain thought would be cool. It took all I had to finish watching this.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/17/25

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Jose C

My introduction to Herzog and the mad talent Klaus Kinski

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

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Audience Member

Very underrated flick, recommend to those who are fans of Apocalypse Now

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

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Mr P

Absolutely mesmerising.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Jelisije J

From a movie making point of view this film is a classic however when considering entertainment value and rewatch ability this film doesn't quite hold up. Its still definitely worth a watch that will get you interested in the actual history that made this movie possible.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

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Travis C

A great Herzog film, for sure. Searching for the mythical city of El Dorado. The city of Gold. And the descent into madness. Klinsky is crazy in this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

Full Review

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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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