The Best Werner Herzog Movies, Ranked
122 credits from 1962 to 2026, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Family Romance, LLC (2020) comes out on top with a score of 77. The biggest box office hit is The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) with $10.6M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Top Rated Werner Herzog Movies
The 4 highest-rated films Werner Herzog is credited on. Family Romance, LLC (2020) leads with 77, followed by Meeting Gorbachev (2019) at 75. The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings, cultural impact and how well a film holds up.
Biggest Werner Herzog Box Office Hits
Werner Herzog's films have made $34.9M worldwide in total. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) is the biggest hit at $10.6M, ahead of Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) ($8.18M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
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The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans 2009 · Drama $10.6M $1.7M dom. - 2
Cave of Forgotten Dreams 2011 · History $8.18M $5.3M dom. - 3
Rescue Dawn 2007 · Action $7.18M $5.49M dom. - 4
Grizzly Man 2005 · Biography $4.07M $3.18M dom. - 5
Encounters at the End of the World 2008 · Documentary $1.21M $945K dom. - 6
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World 2016 · Documentary $766K $595K dom. - 7
Into the Abyss 2011 · Documentary $394K $224K dom. - 8
The White Diamond 2005 · Adventure $387K - 9
Meeting Gorbachev 2019 · Documentary $319K $252K dom. - 10
Invincible 2002 · Drama $181K $82K dom.
The Best Werner Herzog Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Werner Herzog has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Documentary leads with 18 films, and Meeting Gorbachev (2019) is the pick of them.
- Documentary 18 films Meeting Gorbachev 2019 · Director Movie Echo Score: 75
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Drama 14 films Family Romance, LLC 2020 · Director Movie Echo Score: 77 - Adventure 4 films The White Diamond 2005 · Director
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Biography 3 films Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin 2020 · Director Movie Echo Score: 69 - History 3 films Cave of Forgotten Dreams 2011 · Director
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Sci-Fi 2 films The Wild Blue Yonder 2006 · Director -
Thriller 1 film Salt and Fire 2017 · Director - Action 1 film Rescue Dawn 2007 · Director
The Best Werner Herzog Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Werner Herzog's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1970s to 2020s.
- 2020s 4 films Family Romance, LLC 2020 · Director Movie Echo Score: 77
- 2010s 12 films Meeting Gorbachev 2019 · Director Movie Echo Score: 75
- 2000s 11 films The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans 2009 · Director
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1980s 8 films Cobra Verde 1987 · Director -
1970s 9 films Aguirre, the Wrath of God 1972 · Director
The Latest Werner Herzog Movies
The most recent films Werner Herzog is credited on, newest first — starting with Theater of Thought (2024). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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Theater of Thought 2024 · Director -
About a Hero 2024 · Drama - Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin 2020 · Director
- Family Romance, LLC 2020 · Director
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Family Romance, LLC 2019 · Director - Meeting Gorbachev 2019 · Director
- Salt and Fire 2017 · Director
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Queen of the Desert 2017 · Director -
Into the Inferno 2016 · Director - Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World 2016 · Director
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Lemonade War 2014 · Neighborhood Hero -
From One Second to the Next 2013 · Director
The Best Werner Herzog Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Werner Herzog films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best Werner Herzog movie?
Family Romance, LLC (2020) is the best-rated Werner Herzog film, with a Movie Echo Score of 77, ahead of Meeting Gorbachev (2019) (75) and Family Romance, LLC (2019) (70). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
Family Romance, LLC: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing Werner Herzog movie?
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) made the most at the box office, with $10.6M worldwide, followed by Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) with $8.18M. Together, Werner Herzog's films with box office figures have made $34.9M.
Which Werner Herzog movie won the most awards?
Grizzly Man (2005) is the most decorated Werner Herzog film, with 1 win from 3 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Werner Herzog documentary movie?
Meeting Gorbachev (2019) is the best-rated of Werner Herzog's documentary films, with a score of 75. In other genres: Family Romance, LLC (drama), The White Diamond (adventure) and Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (biography).
What is the newest Werner Herzog movie?
The newest film on Werner Herzog's filmography is Ghost Elephants (2026), with Werner Herzog as Self - Narrator.
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