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Throne of Blood poster

Movies that feel likeThrone of Blood (1957)

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

If you loved Throne of Blood, the closest films we have are The Hidden Fortress (1958), Pather Panchali (1955) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). All three share Throne of Blood's contemplative and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Mutiny on the Bounty (1935).

πŸ… 96% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Akira Kurosawacontemplativeepic
10 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· Criterion Channel

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If Throne of Blood hit the spot, these will too

The Hidden Fortress poster
The Hidden Fortress
1958 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8drama Β· action Β· adventureMax

The same hand behind both of them: Akira Kurosawa

The difference: Sits closer to action than Throne of Blood does

In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.

Pather Panchali poster
Pather Panchali
1955 Β· dir. Satyajit Ray
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.2drama Β· historyMax

The same preoccupation in both: black and white

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.

Judgment at Nuremberg poster
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961 Β· dir. Stanley Kramer
πŸ… 93%β˜… 8.3drama Β· history

One thread runs through both: black and white

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.

The Ten Commandments poster
The Ten Commandments
1956 Β· dir. Cecil B. DeMille
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.9drama Β· historyParamount+

Contemplative and epic in the same breath

Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon discovery of his true heritage, Moses embarks on a personal quest to reclaim his destiny as the leader and liberator of the Hebrew people.

Night and Fog poster
Night and Fog
1956 Β· dir. Alain Resnais
β˜… 8.6documentary Β· historyMax

Contemplative history, and it commits to that

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

Dersu Uzala poster
Dersu Uzala
1975 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 73%β˜… 8.2adventure Β· drama

Both are Akira Kurosawa's work, and they rhyme

A military explorer meets and befriends a Goldi man in Russia’s unmapped forests. A deep and abiding bond evolves between the two men, one civilized in the usual sense, the other at home in the glacial Siberian woods.

Spartacus poster
Spartacus
1960 Β· dir. Stanley Kubrick
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.9history Β· drama Β· adventure

Drama with a pulse of scale, in both cases

The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God poster
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
1972 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.8history Β· adventure Β· drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of the lost city of El Dorado. When great difficulties arise, Aguirre’s men start to wonder whether their quest will lead them to prosperity or certain death.

Ben-Hur poster
Ben-Hur
1959 Β· dir. William Wyler
πŸ… 87%β˜… 8.1history Β· drama Β· adventure

Both lean on scale more than on history

In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander β€” setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.

The Passion of Joan of Arc poster
The Passion of Joan of Arc
1928 Β· dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.1drama Β· historyMax

Both play drama straight

The difference: Made in the 1920s, in a different era of the craft

A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.

Mutiny on the Bounty poster
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935 Β· dir. Frank Lloyd
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6adventure Β· drama Β· history

Both know what they want from history

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.

Ran poster
Ran
1985 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8.2action Β· drama Β· history

Two things both keep coming back to: castle and siege

Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Throne of Blood’s defining feeling.