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Movies that feel like Spartacus (1960)

If you loved Spartacus, the closest films we have are Barry Lyndon (1975), The Ten Commandments (1956) and Ben-Hur (1959). All three share Spartacus' epic and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Paramount Plus Premium and Criterion Channel and others, checked against today's data.

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.

πŸ… 93% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.9 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Stanley Kubrickepiccontemplative

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If Spartacus hit the spot, these will too

Barry Lyndon poster
Barry Lyndon
1975 Β· dir. Stanley Kubrick
πŸ… 78%β˜… 8.1drama Β· history

The same hand behind both of them: Stanley Kubrick

An Irish rogue uses his cunning and wit to work his way up the social classes of 18th century England, transforming himself from the humble Redmond Barry into the noble Barry Lyndon.

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

One thread runs through both: slavery

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.

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

Both keep coming back to the same thing: roman empire

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.

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

Epic where it counts, contemplative underneath

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.

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Throne of Blood poster
Throne of Blood
1957 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8drama Β· history

Epic history, and it commits to that

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.

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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.

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Easy Rider poster
Easy Rider
1969 Β· dir. Dennis Hopper
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.2adventure Β· drama

Adventure with a pulse of scale, in both cases

Wyatt and Billy, two Harley-riding hippies, complete a drug deal in Southern California and decide to travel cross-country in search of spiritual truth.

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

Contemplative history in both cases

The difference: Made in the 1930s, in a different era of the craft

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.

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Fitzcarraldo poster
Fitzcarraldo
1982 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 78%β˜… 7.9drama Β· adventure

Drama of the same temperament

Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.

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Watership Down poster
Watership Down
1978 Β· dir. Martin Rosen
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.5adventure Β· animation Β· drama

Both know what they want from adventure

The difference: Leans harder into animation than Spartacus does

When the warren belonging to a community of rabbits is threatened, a brave group led by Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry and Hazel leave their homeland in a search of a safe new haven.

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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· history

Both play history straight

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.

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

The same preoccupation in both: torture

The difference: Missing the stillness of Spartacus

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

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In the mood for more epic?

all epic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Spartacus’ defining feeling.