7 Best Charlton Heston Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 10, 2026

Charlton Heston became the face of the biblical and historical epic, a genre that demanded exactly the larger-than-life gravitas he brought to every role. Ben-Hur betrays a Jewish prince into slavery and sends him on a decade-long revenge, El Cid unites a Spanish knight’s warring factions, Planet of the Apes strands an astronaut on an ape-ruled Earth, and Soylent Green follows a detective in an overpopulated, starving future. The Ten Commandments, Touch of Evil and The Greatest Show on Earth round out the list.

Soylent Green (1973)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A detective, played by Charlton Heston, investigates a murder in an overpopulated, starving future and uncovers a horrifying truth.

Directed by Richard Fleischer · 1h 37m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Planet of the Apes (1968)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 86% Metacritic 79

Astronauts crash on a world where apes rule and humans are treated as animals.

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner · 1h 52m · Rated G

Nominated for 2 Oscars6 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Philo · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

El Cid (1961)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A legendary Spanish knight unites warring factions to defend his homeland against invasion, with Charlton Heston in the title role.

Directed by Anthony Mann · 3h 07m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ben-Hur (1959)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 87% Metacritic 90

A betrayed Jewish prince seeks revenge on his childhood friend, now a powerful Roman official.

Directed by William Wyler · 3h 32m · Rated G

Won 11 Oscars29 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Touch of Evil (1958)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A Mexican narcotics officer investigates a car bombing that exposes deep corruption on both sides of the border.

Directed by Orson Welles · 1h 51m

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Ten Commandments (1956)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A modern-day morality tale runs parallel to the biblical story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille · 3h 40m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Rival performers and management clash behind the scenes of a travelling American circus.

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille · 2h 32m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

7 Best Charlton Heston Movies

Soylent Green (1973)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

El Cid (1961)

Ben-Hur (1959)

Touch of Evil (1958)

The Ten Commandments (1956)

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

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