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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96%

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55 Reviews

90%

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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

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Roger Clarke

Independent (UK)

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

Apr 30, 2024

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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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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…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…

Rated: 5/5

Aug 25, 2025

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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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Thomas S

So dark... Loved the atmosphere, and preferred it to Fitzcarraldo

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

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James A

The only reason this is well rated is because only pretentious film students have seen it. It looks incredibly amateurish and dated and the dubbing is a total joke. There is rain on the camera lens in many scenes LOL. I was looking for a great period piece I hadn't seen like The New World or Master and Commander. The Bounty ended up being the best I found after this disaster. I'll never understand why Europe makes everything better than we do except for films.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/03/25

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Stephen C

1 hour and 34 minutes based on a myth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/10/25

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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

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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