Summary

• Movies like The Da Vinci Code explore the history of religion and hidden symbols, bringing thrilling mysteries to life.
• Fans can find more conspiracy theories, history lessons, and high-stakes adventures in other movies like The Da Vinci Code.
• From classic mystery thrillers to more recent additions, these films offer action, character development, and eerie elements that captivate audiences.

Movies like The Da Vinci Code have popped up since the original movie came out in 2006, based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown. However, there are so many films that came out before this Ron Howard film that plays with the same themes and motifs. The Da Vinci Code is a movie that examines the history of religion and the hidden meaning of symbols, bringing Brown’s novel to life in the best way possible. The movie features elements of mystery, with Tom Hanks bringing the character of Robert Langdon to life.

Meanwhile, there’s action, fantastic dialogue and character development, and elements of eeriness when it comes to Paul Bettany’s character Silas. While The Da Vinci Code had sequels in Angels & Demons (2009) and Inferno (2016), there are plenty of other movies like The Da Vinci Code that fans might want to check out to get more of the conspiracy theories, history lessons, and high-stakes adventure from this worldwide box office success. This includes classic mystery thrillers and some more recent additions.

17 The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

A Remake Of The Classic Political Espionage Thriller

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The 2004 Jonathan Demme thriller The Manchurian Candidate offers fans of movies like The Da Vinci Code a similar experience, with lies, conspiracies, and very powerful people pulling strings. It also offers one man fighting to uncover secrets and make all right in the world.

Much like Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code, The Manchurian Candidate also has an Oscar winner in the lead role, with Denzel Washington as a soldier who returns from the Gulf War with the belief that something sinister was done to him there, and one man responsible is now running for Vice President of the United States. The movie picked up positive reviews and Meryl Streep earned a Golden Globe nomination.

16 Tomb Raider (2018)

A Remake Of The Angelina Jolie Video Game Adaptation

Angelina Jolie made a version of Tomb Raider, based on the video game franchise, but that was mostly a big-budget action movie that is mostly lighthearted fun. While it didn’t receive great reviews and was dismissed upon its release, 2018’s Tomb Raider with Alicia Vikander is a more compelling story and a better version of the video game. Just like Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code, Lara Croft wants to find treasure, for the right reasons and has to deal with people fighting to get it first, for more nefarious reasons.

15 Enemy Of The State (1998)

Will Smith & Gene Hackman In An Espionage Thriller

Before he became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Will Smith was picking up roles in action movies, including Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State. The movie is a political thriller where Smith plays a labor lawyer named Robert Clayton Dean who witnesses the assassination of a congressman, undertaken by NSA agents. They frame Dean, and he has to work with former NSA communications expert Edward Lyle to help clear his name.

Much like The Da Vinci Code, the story follows a massive conspiracy that sees the most powerful people in the world controlling the world. While Da Vinci Code is about religion, Enemy of the State is about politics.

14 The Crimson Rivers (2000)

A Mystery Thriller Starring Jean Reno

Fans of Jean Reno’s turn as the persistent Captain Fache in The Da Vinci Code will want to check out this murder mystery movie where he plays a hard-nosed detective on the case of a string of disturbing murders that point to dark secrets from the past. Vincent Cassel co-stars as an equally tough cop who’s drawn into the same case by the desecration of a tomb a hundred miles away. Most of the story is told through parallel viewpoints, as it is with the two perspectives of Langdon and Silas in The Da Vinci Code.

13 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)

The original movie adaptation of the first part of author Stieg Larsson’s globally popular ‘Millenium’ series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduced film audiences to the detecting duo of hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Fans of The Da Vinci Code‘s darker elements will have as much as they can handle with this sometimes-brutal murder mystery and the methodical nature of how a labyrinthine literary plot unfolds isn’t lost in translation either here.

12 The Pelican Brief (1993)

Based On The John Grisham Novel

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One part of The Da Vinci Code that fans often love best is the conspiracy at the heart of the story. It’s impossible to talk about conspiracy movies without talking about Alan J. Pakula. One of his final films was an adaptation of a conspiracy story by John Grisham starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, making it a must-see for its pedigree alone.

The murderous cover-ups and assassinations of The Pelican Brief are motivated by politics and business, but the story is driven by intelligent conversations. Da Vinci Code fans should appreciate how the action always provides the story with a degree of threat while the ideas of the plot always stay at the center.

11 Sahara (2005)

Based On The Novel Series By Clive Cussler

Author Clive Cussler’s treasure-hunting hero leans far more toward Indiana Jones than Robert Langdon, but the incorporation of mystery with wild historical tales here should be of great intrigue to fans of The Da Vinci Code. Matthew McConaughey takes the lead role in the movie as Dirk Pitt, who uncovers a conspiracy while searching for lost American Civil War gold in Africa. Fans of movies like The Da Vinci Code who enjoy the variety of the journey will get swept up by this sprawling adventure.

10 As Above, So Below (2014)

A Treasure Hunting Horror Movie

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A movie that puts its own unique and energetic spin on treasure hunting is As Above, So Below. This found-footage chiller amplifies the horror qualities of movies like The Da Vinci Code with a story about a group of young historians and cave explorers searching for the philosopher’s stone beneath the Catacombs of Paris. Da Vinci Code fans will enjoy all the dark theories about history and their spirited retelling as well as the religious themes at play in the story, not to mention its surprisingly high degree of emotion.

9 National Treasure (2004)

Nicolas Cage Searching For Conspiracies

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Though it’s slightly less serious or complex than movies like The Da Vinci Code, and it isn’t all about religious symbols, National Treasure utilizes puzzles and clues in the same way for a quest that’s about secrets from US history and even involves the Knights Templar, as The Da Vinci Code does. This movie follows a treasure hunter as he tries to find a trove of riches hidden from history, with riddles and hints having to be followed to find it.

While the story is a little faster-paced, this one feels like a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, and the enthusiasm for history makes it a light experience that Robert Langdon fans should enjoy.

8 Bridge Of Spies (2015)

Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks’ Cold War Spy Thriller

One of the greatest aspects of movies like The Da Vinci Code is the performance of Tom Hanks. He does an amazing job in the lead role, and anybody who enjoys his performance as Langdon should appreciate Bridge of Spies. Hanks once again steps into the lead role in another tense film that features gripping dialogue and a difficult situation that he often has to talk his way out of, just like Langdon. Here he plays James Donovan, who has to negotiate a deal to exchange a spy for a US pilot during the height of the Cold War.

7 Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Robert Downey Jr. As Sherlock Holmes

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Sherlock Holmes is one of the most iconic characters of all time, and Robert Downey Jr. brings him to life fantastically in this 2009 mystery adventure. As is always the case with this detective, he and John Watson are searching to uncover a potentially dangerous threat, using clues and their intelligence to work it out.

While there’s a little more action in this movie, the genius of the characters and how they break things down should feel familiar to fans of movies like The Da Vinci Code. It is a little different in its setup, but both Sherlock and Robert are geniuses who are brilliantly able to solve the trickiest of puzzles.

6 Zodiac (2007)

The Hunt For The Zodiac Killer

This movie is a lot darker in its town due to the nature of the content, focusing on the Zodiac serial killer. Here, a cartoonist ends up becoming engrossed in the case due to his ability to work out the puzzles that the killer is leaving behind. While it is different in its approach, both movies are intense and firmly focused on the mystery element. There are numerous opinions on who the serial killer was, and it is the different outlooks that create the story. It is very similar to the debates about the Holy Grail in The Da Vinci Code.

5 Red Dragon (2002)

The Prequel To Silence Of The Lambs

The focus on symbols and breaking down what they mean is a crucial part of movies like The Da Vinci Code, and that is the same with Red Dragon. This movie is a lot scarier and more serious, leaning more towards the genre of horror. However, it’s a classic thriller that any kind of mystery fan would enjoy.

The chase of an FBI Agent attempting to catch a serial killer is similar to the detectives desperately seeking Robert and Sophie in The Da Vinci Code, and the tense nature of the entire story is gripping to watch as FBI profiler Will Graham has to work with the terrifying cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

4 The Game (1997)

David Fincher’s Mind-Twisting Thriller

The Game leaves audiences gripped from the start, much like The Da Vinci Code. This movie follows Nicholas Van Orton, who is given a mysterious voucher for a game on his birthday, setting up a puzzle throughout the movie. Filled with twists and turns, the story is intriguing for fans of movies like The Da Vinci Code as it’s all about conspiratorial secrecy and a deadly game being played. Both The Da Vinci Code and The Game work well because of the mysteries bubbling under the surface, with no one knowing what is real.

3 Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan’s Breakout Movie Thriller

Another terrific mystery movie that Da Vinci Code fans are likely to enjoy is Memento, which has a large focus on clues and has its unique twist in that the order of the scenes plays out backward, chronologically speaking. The lead character here is a little more like Silas than he is Robert Langdon, however.

The protagonist is unable to create new long-term memories, so he uses notes and tattoos on his own body to remind himself of things each day. Memento‘s quirks make it an engrossing murder mystery where the truth is hidden right in front of the audience’s eyes, which is something that Da Vinci Code fans will no doubt enjoy.

2 Gone Girl (2014)

An Adaptation Of Gillian Flynn’s Best-Selling Thriller

As is the case with most movies like The Da Vinci Code, Gone Girl is another adaptation filled with mystery and constant surprises that keep people on edge throughout. It’s next to impossible to predict what is going to happen. Initially, Nick Dunne spends his time worried, trying to find his missing wife. However, it quickly becomes clear there is more at play within this story, with Amy’s vanishing not being what it first appears to be. Da Vinci Code fans will appreciate how every clue in the mystery flips the story upside down.

1 Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)

The Finale Of The Original Indiana Jones Trilogy

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One of the best movies like The Da Vinci Code came out years before Dan Brown wrote his novel. Similar to The Da Vinci Code, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is about finding a lost Biblical treasure. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy was looking for the Holy Grail and in Last Crusade, it was a Knight of the Templar. The Da Vinci Code was also about looking for the Holy Grail, and both movies have treasure hunters searching for religious artifacts, protecting them from people who want to use them for devious means.

• 

  The Da Vinci Code

  Director:

  Ron Howard

  Release Date:

  2006-05-19

  Cast:

  Tom Hanks, Paul Bettany, Jean Reno

  Writers:

  Ron Howard

  Rating:

  pg-13

  Runtime:

  150minutes

  Genres:

  Thriller, Mystery

  Budget:

  $125 million

  Studio(s):

  Sony

  Distributor(s):

  Sony, Columbia Pictures

  Sequel(s):

  Angels & Demons, Inferno

  Franchise(s):

  The Da Vinci Code