Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+
Hitman movie is violent, profane, & provocative.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this violent action dramedy is focused on the relationship between two professional assassins. While their conversations range from darkly comic to philosophical, the film's imagery is incessantly brutal and bloody. Weapons include guns, knives, and fists. A young boy is shot in the head, a man is stabbed, men punch and kick, there's an attempted suicide by gun, a man falls off a tower (graphic images of his crushed body), and heads and limbs are decimated. There's some sexual imagery -- particularly a brief roll on a bed that's interrupted by a jealous, gun-toting boyfriend -- as well as nonstop language (especially "f--k") and strong drug imagery.
- Families can talk about the violence in the movie. Is it gratuitous? Why or why not? What are the consequences of the assassins' violent acts? What commentary is the movie making on the role of violence in today's culture? Families can also contrast Ray and Ken. What are their differences and similarities? What role do guilt and a sense of remorse play for both men?
The good stuff
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Positive messages: The hitmen are charismatic, but also plainly troubled and confused. The employer is selfish and cruel, but espouses a strict moral code (when someone kills a child, that someone must die). Other characters sell drugs, live dissolute lifestyles, and more.
What to watch for
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Violence: Hitmen frequently discuss murder. Images (flashbacks as well as present time) show brutal, bloody, loud violence. Weapons include guns, knives, and fists; effects include the decimation of heads and limbs. A young boy is shot in the head (bloody image recurs, haunting the killer); a man falls off a tower, with explicit results. Discussion of suicide, and one man almost shoots himself in the mouth. Finale features repeated shooting, foot chase through city streets, lots of blood, and visible pain.
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Sex: Brief sex scene between Ray and Chloe (non-explicit passionate roll on bed); Chloe appears in bra and panties. References to hookers (a prostitute appears kissing a client); at a party, couples tongue kiss. Primary couple kisses passionately near the end.
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Language: Lots of language, including 100+ uses of "f--k" and several of "c--t," plus fewer uses of "s--t," (several with "hole," a couple with "horse"), "prick," "a--hole," "hell," and "p---y." Derogatory terms like "poof" and "fag" are also used, and there's heated discussion of racism.
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Frequent smoking and drinking (liquor, beer, wine), in cafes, pubs, and hotel room; several scenes show drug consumption (snorting cocaine); pills discovered in a hiding place; repeated references to drugs (cocaine, heroin).