Best movies like Tsar
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In 16th-century Russia in the grip of chaos, Ivan the Terrible strongly believes he is vested with a holy mission. Believing he can understand and interpret the signs, he sees the Last Judgment approaching. He establishes absolute power, cruelly destroying anyone who gets in his way. During this reign of terror, Philip, the superior of the monastery on the Solovetsky Islands, a great scholar and Ivan's close friend, dares to oppose the sovereign's mystical tyranny. What follows is a clash between two completely opposite visions of the world, smashing morality and justice, God and men. A grand-scale film with excellent leading roles by Mamonov and Yankovsky. An allegory of Stalinist Russia.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Russia
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, epic, serious, realistic, contemplative, stylized, gloomy, bleak
Best tv shows and movies like Tsar (2009):
Similar in 76%
The King and the Clown (2005)
Plot Summary:
Set in the late 15th century during the reign of King Yeonsan, two male street clowns and tightrope walkers, Jangsaeng (Gam Wu-seong) and Gong-gil (Lee Joon-gi), are part of an entertainer troupe. Their manager prostitutes the beautiful Gong-gil to rich customers, and Jangsaeng is sickened by this practice. After Gong-gil kills the manager in defense of Jangsaeng, the pair flee to Seoul, where they form a new group with three other street performers.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: South Korea
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, touching, sincere, bleak, political, sageuk, realistic, controversial, cynical
Similar in 75%
Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
Plot Summary:
A new doctor from Moscow arrives at a provincial mental institution. His interest is the peculiarities of the psyche of a patient who believes that he is Yakov Yurovsky, the man who assassinated the last Russian tsar. In the course of their conversations it transpires that the patient is a kind of philosopher, not without a gift for suggestion. In a while the doctor himself falls under his patient’s influence: he tends to relive that fatal night of June 16-17, 1918 when, without any investigation or trial, Tsar Nicholas II, who had recently abdicated, was murdered, together with his wife, daughters and incurably ill heir. Soon the doctor realizes that the tragedy of the last Russian tsar is in part his own tragedy, too.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 936
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Soviet Union, UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: psychological, mind bending, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, psychotronic
Similar in 79%
Rasputin (2011)
Plot Summary:
A group of Russian noblemen want to maintain the monarchy and plan to kill Rasputin.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 941
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Russia, France
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, atmospheric, stylized, non-linear
Similar in 87%
The Conspiracy (2008)
Plot Summary:
16th century ruler King Philip II of Spain maneuvers within a court of deceit and betrayal.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 417
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Spain
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, epic, historical drama, tense, talky, gloomy, costume drama
Similar in 80%
The Horde (2012)
Plot Summary:
It is the word "horde" that had meant, for many countries and nations, bloody raids and being under humilating contribution for centuries - a strange and scary world with its own rules and customs. To be or not to be for Rus (Ruthenia), that is the price of the one-man mission as he is departing to this world to accomplish a feat. The film tells the story of how Saint Alexius, the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, healed the Tatar Queen Taidula, Jani-Beg's mother, from blindness, in 1357.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Russia
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, exciting, epic, captivating
Similar in 87%
Falling Star (2014)
Plot Summary:
This colourful feature debut from experienced producer Luis Miñarro offers an almost hallucinatory look at the world of Amadeo of Savoy, who was king of an ungovernable Spain for two years around 1870. This intriguing episode is transformed into a plea for beauty, creativity and joy. The film functions as a metaphor for contemporary Spain and its ongoing state of crisis.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 435
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Spain
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, stylized, captivating
Similar in 78%
El Dorado (1988)
Plot Summary:
The story of an expedition down the Orinoco and Amazon rivers in 1560 by Spanish soldiers searching for the fabled city of gold, El Dorado.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 648
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Spain, France, Italy
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, bleak, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 89%
Kingdom of War: Part 1 (2007)
Plot Summary:
The film concerns the life of King Naresuan, who liberated the Siamese from the control of Burma. Born in 1555, he was taken to Burma as a child hostage; there he became acquainted with sword fighting and became a threat to the Burmese empire.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 689
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Thailand
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, period drama
Similar in 80%
The Inner Circle (1991)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Ivan Sanchin, the KGB officer who was Stalin's private film projectionist from 1939 until the dictator's death. Told from Sanchin's view, the sympathetic but tragically flawed hero maintains unwavering faith in his "Master" despite the arrest of his neighbors and his involvement with their daughter, his wife's affair with the chilling State Security chief Lavrentii Beria and her tragic decline, and the deadly political machinations within the Kremlin he witnesses firsthand. Written by Martin H. Booda.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Mystery
Country: Italy, Soviet Union, USA
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: realistic, disturbing, thought provoking, serious, political, bleak, contemplative
Similar in 81%
The Rider Named Death (2004)
Plot Summary:
In pre-Soviet Russia, Boris Savinkov leads a terrorist faction of Socialist-Revolutionary Party members responsible for the deaths of governors and ministers.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 416
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, clever, captivating, realistic, contemplative, epic, talky, entertaining
Similar in 82%
Waiting for Heaven (2006)
Plot Summary:
Eflatun is a master miniature artist who's living in 17th century Istanbul. One day, he's taken to the vizier's mansion by force. There he learns that Danyal, one of the Ottoman princes who has ignited an insurrection, is arrested in a far off state and to be executed soon. Eflatun is ordered to make a portrait of the rebel prince who's been condemned to death in a Western manner to help the authorities be certain on the identity of him. Upon the order, Eflatun sets off for an arduous journey to Anatolia. He picks up a girl named Leyla en route. Together, they find themselves in a great venture fraught with sensations.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Hungary, Turkey
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, epic
Similar in 89%
Rikyu (1989)
Plot Summary:
Late in the 1500s, an aging tea master teaches the way of tea to a headstrong Shogun. Through force of will and courageous fighting, Hideyoshi becomes Japan's most powerful warlord, unifying the country. Rikyu, through the tea ceremony and floral arrangements, tempers his lord, helping Hideyoshi focus on a single flower or be in a simple room where the shape of a cup is of most importance. But other forces fuel Hideyoshi's ambitions: the Portuguese bring a globe and guns, and he believes he can conquer Korea and China. When Rikyu raises doubts about invading China, Hideyoshi demands an apology, and Rikyu himself must find courage in the way of tea.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 813
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, stylized, jidai geki
Similar in 77%
The Soong Sisters (1997)
Plot Summary:
The Soong family was a political dynasty in China that reached the highest levels of power. This film follows the lives of the three Soong daughters, who were educated in America and returned to China. Ai-ling (the oldest) married a wealthy and powerful businessman. Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary founder of modern China. Mei-ling (the youngest) married Chiang Kai-shek, China's l.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, Japan, China
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized
Similar in 79%
The Supper (1992)
Plot Summary:
France, 1815. After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon heads for exile. Royalists occupy Paris and attempt to restore the monarchy. However, the battle doesn't seem to be over. On July 6, Talleyrand, a shrewd politician of flexible convictions, invites chief of police and zealous revolutionary Fouché to supper and tries to convince him to serve the king. Over the meal they insult each other, accuse each other, and, at first sight, look like mortal enemies. But they definitely have one thing in common: they are both power-hungry.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 629
Genere: Drama, History
Country: France
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: political, thought provoking, clever, serious, realistic, disturbing, contemplative, talky, cynical, biting
Similar in 88%
Rasputin (1981)
Plot Summary:
Details the life of the Russian monk Rasputin. The film shows his rise to power and how it corrupted him. His sexual perversions and madness ultimatly leads to his gruesome assasination.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 151 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, atmospheric, spiritual, rough, bleak, captivating, epic, thought provoking
Similar in 75%
Grigoriy R. (2014)
Plot Summary:
TV series about the mad monk Grigoriy Rasputin, who became a hugely influential figure at the court of Tsar Nicholas II.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 156
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration:
Plot tags: stylized, atmospheric, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Catherine the Great (2015)
Plot Summary:
The story of Catherine the Great from the time she came to Russia as the bride of the heir to the Russian throne.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 331
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Russia
Duration: 49 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, exciting, captivating, romantic, thought provoking, historical drama, costume drama, period drama
Similar in 88%
Peter and Paul (1981)
Plot Summary:
Peter and Paul assume leadership of the Church as they struggle against violent opposition to the teachings of Christ and their own personal conflicts.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 654
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 198 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, atmospheric, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, spiritual, sexy
Similar in 77%
The Radicals (1989)
Plot Summary:
The story of the Anabaptist movement and two of its first leaders, Michael and Margaretha Sattler.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 104
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: biblical, independent film, bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 79%
The Mill and the Cross (2011)
Plot Summary:
What would it be like to step inside a great work of art, have it come alive around you, and even observe the artist as he sketches the very reality you are experiencing? From Lech Majewski, one of Poland's most acclaimed filmmakers, The Mill and the Cross is a cinematic re-staging of Pieter Bruegel's masterpiece "Procession to Calvary," presented alongside the story of its creation.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Poland, Sweden
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, bleak, serious, realistic, surreal, christian film, philosophical, spiritual, cerebral, offbeat
Similar in 83%
Young Catherine (1991)
Plot Summary:
A German princess is chosen to marry the heir to the Russian Throne, but faces plots and intrigues against her.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA, Canada, Soviet Union, Germany, Italy
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: serious, historical drama, costume drama, sentimental, touching, realistic, stylized, period drama, baroque
Similar in 83%
Rasputin (1996)
Plot Summary:
Into an era seething with war and revolution, a man comes with an incredible power to heal a nation...or destroy it. Based on the true story of one of the most powerful and mysterious figures in Russian history.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA, Hungary
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: mysterious, esoteric, tense, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, period drama
Similar in 86%
The Viceroys (2007)
Plot Summary:
No overview found.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 386
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Italy, Spain, Germany, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: captivating, psychological, atmospheric, epic, serious, emotional, realistic, saga
Similar in 76%
King of the Sands (2013)
Plot Summary:
A daring, compelling and controversial take on the life of prince Abdulaziz Al Saud (Ibn Saud), founder of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 604
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Syria
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: realistic, epic, serious, captivating
Similar in 90%
The Kautokeino Rebellion (2008)
Plot Summary:
Religious and cultural reawakening inspires rebellion in a 19th century Norwegian village.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, captivating, realistic, esoteric, bleak
Similar in 85%
Mary Queen of Scots (2013)
Plot Summary:
The life and death of the Scottish monarch.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 986
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Switzerland, France
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: stylized, captivating, realistic, serious, historical drama, romantic drama, period drama
Similar in 78%
Iron & Blood: The Legend of Taras Bulba (2009)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 16th century, this is a story about Ukraine's Cossack warriors and their campaign to defend their lands from the advancing Polish armies.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: Russia
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: realistic, exciting, serious, epic, captivating, stylized, dramatic, brutal, uplifting
Similar in 84%
Kingdom of War: Part 2 (2007)
Plot Summary:
Prince Naresuan is now the crown prince of Ayutthaya and the king of Burma is dead. While the new Burmese king is waging war, the crown prince plots to assassinate Naresuan. Hearing this, the prince decides to evacuate Thais out of the Burmese capital and declare that Siam will no longer bow to Burma. The war for the kingdom's independence begins.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 439
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: Thailand
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, epic, serious, realistic, period drama
Similar in 80%
The Assassins (2012)
Plot Summary:
In the year 198 BC, Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat), Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, ventured to the east and defeated China's greatest warrior Lu Bu, terrifying every ambitious warlord across the country. Several years later, after taking the Han Emperor under his wing, Cao crowns himself King of Wei. He built a magnificent Bronze Sparrow Island to symbolize his power and rumors spread that he would replace the Emperor. Meanwhile, young lovers Mu Shun (Hiroshi Tamaki) and Ling Ju (Liu Yi-Fei) are taken from a prison camp to a hidden tomb, where they spend five cruel years together, training as assassins for a secret mission. In the year 220 BC astronomical signs predict dramatic change. As a result, Cao's son Cao Pi (Yau Sam-Chi) and Cao's followers urge Cao to become the new Emperor - but unknown opposing forces plot against him.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: China
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, epic, realistic, captivating, stylized
Similar in 89%
Cromwell (1970)
Plot Summary:
Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the English Civil War.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: epic, realistic, factual, talky, serious, stylized, period piece, sincere, captivating, contemplative