Top 10 Movies With Surprisingly Realistic Violence
#10: “Joker” (2019)
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With this acclaimed take of the iconic character came a major shift in tone: gone was the cartoon wackiness. Instead, it was replaced with a rather morose and down-to-Earth glimpse at a troubled man descending into total helplessness and, ultimately, violence. The on-screen carnage is in keeping with the movie’s more realistic tone, offering the likes of shootings, stabbings, and head-bashings. The climax of the film is especially troubling, as Arthur Fleck embraces his Joker persona and enacts the butchery that comes with it. The violence is not overtly graphic, but its depiction in a shockingly matter-of-fact manner is what makes it particularly disturbing to watch.
#9: “Children of Men” (2006)
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There’s a reason “Children of Men” was nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar – it looks fantastic, and the visuals help build the tension and the violence to unspeakable heights. “Children of Men” follows Clive Owen’s character as he transports a pregnant woman across an infertile and anarchistic country, and the violence comes from the atrocities that humans commit against each other. The movie contains a ton of realistic and sudden violence, including explicit beatings and shootings, and much of it is shot in the appearance of a single take. This allows the savagery to really sink in, and it does not always make for a pleasant viewing experience.
#8: “Nightcrawler” (2014)
Psychological thriller “Nightcrawler” follows a young man with criminal tendencies named Lou Bloom. Bloom becomes a freelance photojournalist who captures accidents and criminal acts in detail and sells the footage to local news stations. As he grows more successful, Bloom becomes more, shall we say, “involved” in his news stories. The violence is all shown in a lifelike manner, with the accidents being particularly unnerving. They’re shot and positioned to look like genuine news articles, and the victims are obviously in quite a bit of distress. “Nightcrawler” serves as a dark and rather troubling glimpse into human suffering, whether it be the result of a mishap or an intentional act of malice.
#7: “Goodfellas” (1990)
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For one of the most realistic glimpses into the mob lifestyle, one only needs to watch Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece. “Goodfellas” is based on a true story, having been adapted from Nicholas Pileggi’s “Wiseguy,” which chronicles the life and criminal career of mobster Henry Hill. The film contains all the types of violence one would expect from the mafia, including stabbings, shootings, and beatings. Most of the violence is portrayed quite graphically, with lots of resulting blood and physical damage. Tommy DeVito is one of the most famous villains in cinema history, and watching him work is both horrifying and distressing.
#6: “The Passion of the Christ” (2004)
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Regardless of your views on its content, there’s no denying that “The Passion of the Christ” has some downright visceral violence. It brings the Passion of Jesus to horrifying life while at the same time depicting the harrowing realism of a crucifixion. The movie was criticized upon release for its excessive violence, with many claiming that it took away from the message of the movie. Roger Ebert even called it “the most violent film [he has] ever seen.” It is full of nasty imagery, including Jesus being savagely whipped, nailed to a cross, and pierced with a spear. By the end of the movie, he’s covered head-to-toe in blood and we’re left horrified.
#5: “Eastern Promises” (2007)
As brutal as David Fincher can be, he arguably has nothing on David Cronenberg. Cronenberg is known for his outlandish body horror, but both his “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promises” contain some of the most gut-wrenchingly realistic scenes ever depicted onscreen. The violence throughout “Eastern Promises” is downright hideous, especially the infamous steam bath scene which sees combatants fighting each other with knives. It also contains horrific throat slittings, finger amputations, brutal beatings, and eyeball-stabbings. We suppose it’s a different kind of body horror, one that is realistic and even more disturbing than anything the imagination can wrangle up.
#4: “12 Years a Slave” (2013)
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It’s a movie that realistically depicts the horrors of slavery; how can it not be on this list? The film graphically depicts the atrocities that slaves were forced to endure, including hangings, lashings, stabbings, and assault. While not as bloody and striking as some of the other movies on this list, the realistic way in which the violence is filmed shines a light on America’s horrid past. The attention to historical accuracy makes it a vital watch for anyone studying the time period. However, that fact certainly doesn’t make it any easier to watch.
#3: “The Revenant” (2015)
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This Oscar-winning adventure drama from Alejandro G. Iñárritu follows Hugh Glass, a trapper who is left for dead in the barren Dakotas. Much has been written of the movie’s famous bear attack sequence, and for good reason. It’s a wonderful bit of filmmaking, complete with an unbroken tracking shot style, vivid violence, and a terrific performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. It all combines to create a convincing and unforgettable scene. But that’s certainly not the only instance of violence throughout the film, and when it comes, it comes hard. With “The Revenant,” Iñárritu has crafted one of the most uncompromising survival films ever made.
#2: “City of God” (2002)
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There’s the Rio de Janeiro that the tourists see, and then there’s the Rio de Janeiro depicted in this bleak epic. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Paulo Lins, “City of God” depicts the turbulent life inside a Rio favela called Cidade de Deus. The story spans multiple decades and chronicles the rise of organized crime within the neighborhood and the resulting depravity that comes from it. “City of God” serves as an unflinching glimpse into the types of lives that these people live, complete with instances of domestic violence, armed robbery, and crimes involving minors. No one said art had to be pleasant.
#1: “Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
If Spielberg didn’t horrify us enough with the Holocaust in “Schindler’s List,” he gave us the screen’s most realistic depiction of war only five years later. The harrowing opening sequence on Omaha beach is filled with horrifying imagery, including a soldier looking for his severed arm and another crying for his mother while trying to hold in his guts. Many WWII veterans have claimed that the film’s opening is so realistic, they had to walk out of the theatre. Some even had to seek counseling for PTSD, as the movie brought back memories of their real experiences.
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