Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) poster & wallpaper

Del Negro, Helena Rojo, Klaus Kinski

A mad conquistador, Don Lope de Aguirre, leads a doomed river journey to find El Dorado.

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92% liked it

17,940 ratings

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97% liked it

30 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Release Date: December 29, 1972

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DVD Release Date: October 24, 2000

Stats: 1,329 reviews

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Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes Aguirre enjoy the music dona Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) Aguirre and his daughter Helmet-Klaus Don Lope de Aguirre Aguirre and Pizarro the search party Klaus Kinski... Final scene Aguirre Aguirre and his daughter the descent Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God)
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Flixster Reviews (1,329)

  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    One of the greatest films ever made, Herzog's behind the camera and Kinski in front, it was always going to be good but this film has influenced a whole parade of fantastic films but has never been matched in greatness. The quintessential tale of power, greed and madness. My crap...( read more) little review doesn't do it justice.
  • ebs90
    September 8, 2009
    ebs90

    Aguirre: The Wrath of God was directed by the fearless Werner Herzog. He embarked on a production/adventure in the Amazon jungle to film an episode of Don Lope de Aguirre's eventful life.


    Aguirre is shown as part of a Conquistador's crew. After many days in the rainfo

    ...( read more)rest, he tires of being ordered about and decides on becoming the leader of the expedition. No one protests; he is sly, skillful and ruthless. He creates an imaginary Kingdom in those lands ("El Dorado"), names one of the crew members King, and takes his men -and his daughter- upriver, to the conquest of the rest of the jungle.

    The film is masterfully developed, building up moments of tension and release until the haunting ending. Throughout, the uncertainty is unbearable. The key here, I believe, is Herzog's treatment of silence, facial expressions, and time. This story about a madman in the jungle becomes monumental Nothing happens for a long stretch, and then a rebellion, a gunfight, a hallucination... The characters are mostly quiet, silenced by Aguirre's own threatening stillness, but Herzog's close-ups of their faces suggest thoughts, plans, schemes, desires. Many of them don't know why they're there (both in the film and in real life).


    The cinematography is bewildering and, as Herzog said himself, the jungle acts as a psychological mirror for the characters: their minds are cluttered, dense, and increasingly menacing towards each other as they sail deeper. Dialog is very scarce, but often memorable. One of the director's trademarks, besides the realism of his filmmaking, sometimes so honest that it seems obvious, is his choice of supporting actors: he picked several non-actors who give a fascinating air to the film and take the "documentary" feel even further. When they talk, they seem to be addressing you.


    The most obvious standout is Klaus Kinski's terrifying performance as the Wrath of God: brooding and collected like a criminal on death row planning a breakout. He seldom speaks. Kinski acts with his walk and his face. When he talks, the jungle goes silent, and the cast gets nervous. This is one of the greatest actors I've ever seen. He had everyone, even Herzog, on the edge of their seat. The true story behind this painful shoot is only coherent with the powerful performance. Together, actor and director seemed to reach a perfect understanding. They admired each other even if they didn't admit it then. If they hadn't, Aguirre would have never succeeded.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    August 16, 2009
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Right from it's impressive opening shot, Herzog's minimalistic masterpiece wastes no time to get things going. A dommed expedition searching for el Dorado shows the most nasty side of human greed. No over the top scenes, dumb "climax" or other pointless stuff that other movies wo...( read more)uld rush to do. Everything here comes slowly: the lack of food, the killing from always present but hardly seeing locals in the forest. Kinski's cold stare pierces your soul in ways few actors in the world could ever do. The final sequence with the monkeys, and Kinski as the last mand standing in this mindless quest is pure cinematic poetry.
  • RCCLBC
    June 19, 2009
    RCCLBC
    A film that is subtle, quiet and racked with tension.

    Few people can capture the essence of obsessive compulsive behavior and (ultimately) total madness like Werner Herzog. And he does it in a way that (at times) can almost feel like a documentary. At least from a visual ...( read more)standpoint.

    Having said that, few people can play obsessive compulsive and/or mad quite like Klaus Kinski. Though with Klaus, I tend to doubt that these characteristics were much of a challenge for him to bring to the screen.

    While the stories of their shoots together are the stuff of (film shoot hell) "legend", the end result was usually a masterpiece in one sense or another. This film is no exception and could not be made today with the same powerful realism. With the exception of the horribly fake 70's "special effects" blood. of course.

    I would love to hear his (real life) daughter Nastassja Kinski recount of this shoot. She plays a small role as Aguirre's daughter in the film.
  • puffchunk
    April 17, 2009
    puffchunk
    Just wasn't that interesting to me. I did like that I was watching a movie about Spaniards speaking German with English subtitles.
  • kwalesby
    November 4, 2009
    kwalesby
    Loosely based on historical fact and Joseph Conrad's seminal work, 'Heart of Darkness', Aguirre is a gripping account of a man pushing, and in turn being pushed, too far.

    The sheer density of the jungle, coupled with both Herzog's superb direction and Kinski's amazing perform...( read more)ance, creates an atmosphere of palpable foreboding.

    The way it ends is the only logical conclusion amidst such an illogical expedition.
  • ahhh1989
    November 1, 2009
    ahhh1989
    One of Werner Herzog's most disturbing films, and also one of his craziest and most insane and greatest! It's very documentary-like and it challenges the viewer in a very unique way. Just see it. You won't regret it.
  • uberbeard
    October 28, 2009
    uberbeard
    Hilarious to watch with no sound in a night club.
  • marioehrler
    October 5, 2009
    marioehrler
    a review by Alberto Ehrler.

    Fear and desperation are two powerful and deeply disturbing human emotions that few directors can easily convey through their films; an even greater accomplishment is managing to affect the viewer with the aid of only a few images that, devoid of mu...( read more)ch dialogue and events, still linger and trouble you even after the film has ended. Werner Herzog's "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" is a perfect example of truly affecting cinema that, even through its simplicity, manages to carve itself a memorable space in our viewing experiences.

    The film records the failed expedition of Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) as he leads a small and frightened group of men through the vast desolation and beauty of South America's jungles in the search of the legendary El Dorado. An expedition through the jungles of the new world goes terribly wrong, and a group of men led by Don Pedro de Urzua (Ruy Guerra) and Lope de Aguirre is sent to explore the lands near a river to find food and a route that should hopefully take them back home. Aguirre betrays Urzua and claims the absolute leadership of the expedition, severing it from any relation to the original expedition and from Spain. Driven by fear and by an instinct of survival, these men now follow Aguirre through a mind-bending journey atop a ragged raft through a treacherous river, where there is nothing around them but a desparing solace, lack of food and the maddening certainty of death.

    Klaus Kinski plays the title role to perfection. He's relentless, vicious, demanding and his wrathful resolve overwhelms the men and takes them to their doom. You find yourself fearing for these men and biting your nails off with apprehension for Aguirre's next step. From the first frame to the very last scene, the camera follows Aguirre and his followers through the breath-taking beauty and danger of the jungle, juxtaposing the natural beauty with the impending doom; natives are hidden in the foliage and, little by little, they finish off with the voyagers. The camera takes long shots at the trees, at the landscape, at the rushing water, and even though we can't see them, we know the natives are hidden there, awaiting their chance to kill these opressors. A continuous sense of peril and alarming fear prevails over every scene, and it's remarkable how much suspense can be gathered from simply looking at the landscape; it's pure cinematic perfection.

    The men seldom leave their raft for fear of an attack, so we see as they gradually become weaker and weaker, ravaged by madness and hunger, till every sense of humanity, decency and every point in life has been lost. Each scene treats us to an unabridged piece of silent horror, and above it all stands the maddened and loathsome Aguirre, delivering his so-called "wrath of God" upon anyone who dares go against him.

    The cinematography is ruthless in establishing this fear and desolation, and the music (at times violently serene, at times sarcastically joyous) enhances the fear to unbearable heights. There is very little dialogue, but the images speak for themselves, and there really is no need for words when the hopelessness of the situation is so apparent. And once again we never fail to notice the way so much natural beauty and such splendor mix with the futile attempts these men go through to stay alive one more day. It just can't be fully described by words.

    Werner Herzog is a master at playing with images and with the viewer's minds, and it's way past remarkable the way he makes you delve deep into the film and savour (for the lack of a better word) the situation. This is, indeed, a cinematic triumph of mood and setting that no cinema lover should overlook.

    Rating: 3 stars and a half out of 4!
  • cosmo313
    October 3, 2009
    cosmo313
    This film is just full of tension and a creepy, unsettling mood for the entirety of its running time. This is also one of Herzog's most visually stunning, engrossing, and and haunting films. The film also boasts one of Klaus Kinski's finest performances. All around, one of the mo...( read more)st perfect and greatest films ever made.

View All Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 3, 2006
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

A saga of adventurers driven headlong into annihilation by their own hubris and desire for immortality. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

One of the great haunting visions of the cinema. full review

View more Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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