Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+
Action flick has high body count, big guns, little point.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Baytown Outlaws follows three bandit brothers who are hired to kidnap a boy and end up blasting their way through scene after scene, leaving a pile of bloody bodies in their wake. Nobody comes off well here: not the woman (Eva Longoria) who looks like she's trying to save her godson, not the crooked sheriff, and certainly not the gangster (Billy Bob Thornton) who's determined to snuff out the brothers after they raid his home, guns a-blazing. There's near non-stop swearing (including "f--k" in almost every scene) and almost as much violence, including big guns, big explosions, and plenty of secondary characters who get shot to bloody bits. There's also some drinking and smoking, and some sexually suggestive images, including a shot of a woman's naked behind.
- Families can talk about The Baytown Outlaws' violence. Is it realistic? Is it intended to be?
- How does the violence in this movie compare to films by directors like Quentin Tarantino? Is the high body count here trying to say anything in particular, or do you think the goal is to appeal to an audience that likes to see people shooting big guns?
- Talk about the brothers' relationship with Rob, the disabled teen they're hired to kidnap. Why do they all start to bond? Who really cares the most for Rob -- his godmother or the bandits?
The good stuff
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Positive messages: Brothers stick together through thick and thin -- but in this case that means through mayhem and murder. And loyalty here means helping out criminals, especially if they've helped you benefit from their illegal behavior.
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Positive role models: Nobody really comes off looking good. The lawman is corrupt, the main characters are vicious thugs, and the "bad guys" -- defined here as the ones chasing the main characters -- are just as violent. A woman who seems to be trying to help a young man has selfish ulterior motives. In fact, the only person who even shows hints of a heart is a dangerous bandit who reveals a tender side when he must care for a disabled teen.
What to watch for
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Violence: The three main characters are outlaw brothers, guns for hire in the Deep South whose primary business is taking people out, often with big guns at close range. There are bloody shoot outs all through the film and lots of bloody corpses. There are also some intense fist fights, including one scene in which a very large man beats up women. He also snaps a person's neck on-screen. Another scene features a man being dragged behind a motorcycle, screaming, and another man about to get scalped. It's all quite gory and graphic.
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Sexy stuff: A quick shot of a naked woman's backside. Two scenes feature a gang of women who use their sexuality to lure men into lowering their guard before robbing and/or killing them. There's suggestive dialogue and even more suggestive movements as they rub up against their intended prey. A scene in a bar has porn movies running in the background; though the images are blocked, the sounds are obvious. Cleavage/skimpy outfits.
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Language: Almost every scene features "f--k" in some permutation. Also frequent use of "s--t," "d--k," "ass," "bitch," and some vulgar references to women and Jews.
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Several scenes show people drinking and smoking cigarettes. One sequence takes place in a bar with people drinking. Some drug content.