Movies like The Ruler (2013)
The best movies like The Ruler (2013) are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and Visions of Light (1992). If The Ruler hooked you with its documentary and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFor Sama (2019)8.2/10 from 323 votes
- NewestPutin and Trump · Best of Enemies? (2026)Released 2026
The Untold History Of The United States (2012)
Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMaking Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVisions of Light (1992)
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCover-Up (2025)
He's devoted his career to uncovering stories the powerful want buried. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib, dig into the life's work of journalist Seymour Hersh.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe War Room (1993)
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the Clinton for President campaign, focusing on the adventures of spin doctors James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Soviet Story (2008)
“The Soviet Story” is a story of an Allied power, which helped the Nazis to fight Jews and which slaughtered its own people on an industrial scale. Assisted by the West, this power triumphed on May 9th, 1945. Its crimes were made taboo, and the complete story of Europe’s most murderous regime has never been told. Until now...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRed Army (2015)
A documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's Captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and celebrated national hero to political enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Age of Stupid (2009)
Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMifune: The Last Samurai (2016)
An account of the life and work of legendary Japanese actor Toshirō Mifune (1920-97), the most prominent actor of the Golden Age of Japanese cinema.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCapitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Michael Moore comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Princess (2022)
Decades after her untimely death, Princess Diana continues to evoke mystery, glamour, and the quintessential modern fairy tale gone wrong. As a symbol of both the widening fissures weakening the British monarchy and the destructive machinery of the press, the Princess of Wales navigated an unparalleled rise to fame and the corrosive challenges that came alongside it. Crafted entirely from immersive archival footage and free from the distraction of retrospective voices, this hypnotic and audaciously revealing documentary takes a distinctive formal approach, allowing the story of the People’s Princess to unfold before us like never before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFuck (2006)
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoom 237 (2012)
A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Godfather Family: A Look Inside (1990)
A documentary on the making of the three Godfather films, with interviews and recollections from the film makers and cast. This feature also includes the original screen tests of some of the actors for "The Godfather" film, and some candid moments on the set of "The Godfather: Part III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHyperNormalisation (2016)
We live in a world where the powerful deceive us. We know they lie. They know we know they lie. They do not care. We say we care, but we do nothing, and nothing ever changes. It is normal. Welcome to the post-truth world. How we got to where we are now…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFor Sama (2019)
A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Skywalker Legacy (2020)
The story lives forever in this feature-length documentary that charts the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBitter Lake (2015)
An experimental documentary that explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this42 Up (1999)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAs I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIt's Hard Being Loved by Jerks (2008)
The murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic extremist in 2004, followed by the publishing of twelve satirical cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed that was commissioned for the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, provides the incendiary framework for Daniel Leconte's provocative documentary, It's Hard Being Loved by Jerks.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & history
The State of Arizona (2014)
From PBS: Arizona's enforcement-led policy, which grew out of its unique position as a frontline border state, is reshaping the national conversation around immigration reform. With dozens of states considering a similar approach, THE STATE OF ARIZONA holds up a mirror, asking Americans who they are, and who they want to be.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Relentless Patriot (2024)
For 30 years, Scott LoBaido has been a voice, fighting with you and for you on so many issues, promoting and celebrating Old Glory, those who serve, and our great American way, using art, heart, and passion. Now it is time to tell his story, the good, the bad and the ugly that got him to where he is today, advocating as a giant voice for you, the American People, through the unusual suspect.. Art. An inspiring American Story of art, patriotism, and activism, told with tons of stills and video footage from Scott's extensive career, that will surely blow your mind. After 30 years, this story must be told... NOW more than ever. This is a wild ride film like no other and a call to action at a time like no other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Uncovered: The Whole Truth About The Iraq War (2004)
Interviews with varied U.S officials and experts offer a deconstruction on the Bush administration's case for war in Iraq in the wake of 9/11.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Charles: In His Own Words (2023)
A documentary special that provides a rare view into the real Charles behind the headlines… told in his own words.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Chodorkowskis neue Freiheit (2016)
Released from prison, former oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky expounds on his newfound freedom and complex relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1994)
Visionary, radical, spiritual seeker, renowned poet, founding member of a major literary movement, champion of human rights, Buddhist, political activist and teacher. Extensive archival footage, interviews, and home movies cover Allen Ginsberg's life, activism, and influence on American culture through the Beat era, the 1960s, and beyond.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Putin and Trump · Best of Enemies? (2026)
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump — one the President of the United States, the other the President of Russia. Two men at the pinnacle of global power whose relationship keeps the world on edge. One a former businessman, the other a former KGB agent. Both have been active in politics for years. What drives them? The struggle over a possible ceasefire — or even peace — in Ukraine brought the two together last summer in Anchorage. But the question remains: who wants what? And who is succeeding with what agenda?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
People of Moon, People of Blood: Yanomami document 1972-1982 (1985)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
November 5th (2025)
"November 5th" is a political documentary that follows veteran political consultant, and anti-Trump Republican, Craig Snyder, as the 2024 presidential election unfolds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Ruler?
The closest matches to The Ruler are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and Visions of Light (1992). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Ruler?
Start with The Untold History Of The United States (2012), the closest match to The Ruler.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Ruler?
For Sama (2019), rated 8.2/10 by 323 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Ruler?
Putin and Trump · Best of Enemies? (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Ruler chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Ruler, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.