Summary

• The Da Vinci Code explores religion and symbolism through mystery, with Tom Hanks as Langdon.
• Sequels to The Da Vinci Code have similar elements, along with action and historical conspiracy.
• Movies like The Da Vinci Code include National Treasure and Indiana Jones, focusing on quests for historical treasures.

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.

20 The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

A Remake Of The Classic Political Espionage Thriller

The 2004 Jonathan Demme thriller is a remake of the 1962 movie. 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. It delves more into science fiction rather than historical fiction, but the mystery is just as interesting. The movie picked up positive reviews and Meryl Streep earned a Golden Globe nomination.

19 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 a big-budget action movie that is mostly lighthearted fun. The movie did get a sequel, but didn't move beyond that, paving the way for a reboot of the video game movie adaptation.

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, but for the right reasons, and has to deal with people fighting to get it first, for more nefarious reasons. Also, like similar movies, the story draws from real history to create a fictional for the audience to enjoy.

18 Enemy Of The State (1998)

Will Smith & Gene Hackman In An Espionage Thriller

Before he became one of Hollywood's biggest dramatic stars, Will Smith was picking up roles in comedies and making the transition to 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 when realizing he knows the truth, 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 the conspiracy's ties to a religion, however, Enemy of the State is about politics. If that's not enough to get The Da Vinci Code fans interested though, it also has a stacked ensemble cast that includes Gene Hackman and Regina King.

17 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.

It's not just Jean Reno's turn as a detective that will appeal to the audience though. There is a similar narrative style to The Da Vinci Code for The Crimson Rivers despite the differences in the stories. 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.

16 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)

The Swedish Adaptation Of The Popular Stieg Larsson Novel

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.

Just as The Da Vinci Code has more story to tell in Dan Brown's world of sequels and prequels, so does The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. There are sequel novels and movies, as well as a 2011 adaptation from David Fincher. The expansive and complicated mysteries will keep fans engaged long after watching the first chapter of the story.

15 The Pelican Brief (1993)

Based On The John Grisham Novel

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. Grisham is best known for writing legal thrillers and mysteries, and many of his stories have made their way to the big screen.

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.

14 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.

McConaughey, like Hanks, has a variety of roles under his belt, and this shows off his versatility in an action-role. He and Hanks have different types of charm, but those differing types work in these movies as a scholar and a treasure hunter aren't exactly the same character types. Fans of movies like The Da Vinci Code who enjoy the variety of the journey will get swept up by this sprawling adventure.

13 As Above, So Below (2014)

A Treasure Hunting Horror Movie

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.

There is a difference in the cinematography style, however. While The Da Vinci Code is more of a straight-up action movie in the way its sequences are shot, As Above, So Below is filmed in the found footage style. That means there is more shaky cameras and hand-held shots, but that only adds to the realism of the movie.

12 National Treasure (2004)

Nicolas Cage Searching For Conspiracies

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. Both movies combine known aspects of history with gaps in modern day knowledge to create fascinating mysteries.

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.

11 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 the legendary Tom Hanks. He does an amazing job in the lead role, as he does in so many of his movies. Hanks' rom-coms and family movies, however, likely won't appeal to the same audience intrigued by the thriller aspects of The Da Vinci Code.

Instead, 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.