Top 10 Movies That Deserved Their R Rating

While Martin Scorsese has depicted some horrific violence in his films, it’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” that really pushes the boundary of the R rating. In fact, Scorsese was forced to cut some explicit sexual content from the movie to avoid the dreaded NC-17. Full frontal nudity abounds, including graphic shots of both female and male genitalia. The character of Jordan Belfort is a drug addict, and as such, a wide array of narcotics are used throughout the film - including a prolonged sequence in which Jordan suffers from a heavy dose of quaaludes. Finally, “The Wolf of Wall Street” became the most profane movie in history, with a record-setting 569 uses of the f-word.

It’s not often that movies are given an NC-17 rating for their violence. Heck, just look at any of the “Saw” movies. But “RoboCop” proved the exception. Back in the ‘80s, the X rating was the equivalent of the modern NC-17, and director Paul Verhoeven claims that “RoboCop” received it eight different times. He was forced to make various cuts to receive an R rating, but the movie has since been released in its full, uncut state. Most of the violence is depicted in an intentionally corny and over-the-top manner, which helps lessen its emotional impact. But it’s still incredibly gruesome - especially the famous deaths of Alex Murphy and gang member Emil.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone love to provoke, and “South Park” had long been a lightning rod for concerned parental groups. They then got the freedom to make a movie, and they even turned its title into a dirty joke. The movie was given an NC-17 rating five different times before producer Scott Rudin convinced the MPAA to give it an R. The sexual content within the movie is quite graphic, including one bizarre scene involving Saddam Hussein and Satan. The cartoon violence is also quite graphic (although “Family Guy” has done worse). But the worst offender is the language. Given free reign, Parker and Stone imbued the movie with 399 swear words, which earned it a Guinness World Record in 2001.

This David Fincher classic is actually quite tame in regards to on-screen violence. But “Seven” has a particular tone to it that makes it especially disturbing to watch. While most of the violence and killing takes place off-screen, the gruesome aftermaths are continuously shown, and they make for some highly unsettling visuals that have incredible power to agitate. The characters also describe the horrific ways in which the victims were tortured, and it forces viewers to confront their darkest imaginations. Furthermore, the entire movie has a very grim and realistic tone, and it makes the tragic events even more difficult to digest. In its own way, “Seven” is one of the scariest movies ever made.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s beloved period comedy chronicles the so-called Golden Age of Pornography through the eyes of a young actor named Eddie Adams, a.k.a. Dirk Diggler. As one would imagine, it contains a lot of inappropriate material. Anderson actually directed the movie with an NC-17 rating in mind, but the producers were concerned about the box office returns and forced him to cut it down to an R. But the finished product is still unbelievably graphic, complete with full frontal male and female nudity and many intimate looks behind the making of a pornographic film. Add in some rampant drug use and non-stop swearing, and you have yourself a very hard R.

None of the “Jackass” films are particularly suitable for children, but “Jackass 3D” really ramped up the gross-out factor. The worst things about the film are its 3D effects, which give viewers intimate access to some things they don’t especially want access to. What other movie utilizes 3D to shoot human feces or graphically detailed sex objects towards the viewer? Aside from the constant puking, peeing, and pooping, full frontal male nudity is also seen on more than one occasion. There’s also all the violence to consider (although much of it is done in a comedic manner), and the stars constantly swear in pain or surprise. This movie makes the first two look like a children’s show.

Few movies represent the excess of the ‘80s quite like Brian De Palma’s “Scarface.” This is like every other gangster movie cranked up to eleven, complete with all the swearing, blood, sex, and drugs that could be packed into 170 minutes. The violence is quite heavy, complete with lots of blood and the infamous chainsaw sequence that has the power to disturb viewers. Drug use is rampant and includes a scene in which Tony Montana snorts from a literal mountain of cocaine. There’s a very odd relationship between Tony and his sister that some viewers believe is incestuous. And finally, the movie is packed to the brim with profanity, complete with 226 uses of the f-word.

Serving as the fourth entry in the franchise, the grisly “Rambo” ignores the goofy and lighthearted violence of its predecessors and borders on horror movie brutality. The film tries something new, and that’s depicting a realistic take on wartime violence, the results both shocking and revolting. The violence depicted in this film even surpasses movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Black Hawk Down,” and every single death is shown in excruciatingly graphic detail. Even for fans of hardcore action movies, it can all prove a little much, and it pushes the R limit to its breaking point.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is not a pretty story, and Mel Gibson wasn’t afraid of showing it in all its graphic detail. The movie’s violence was criticized by some, who claimed that it was both excessive and distracting to the message of the story. The movie runs just over two hours, and most of that time is devoted to the torture and crucifixion of Jesus. It’s a very realistic glimpse into an ancient execution technique, and some critics even compared the movie to a snuff film. The violence isn’t particularly graphic, but it’s filmed in a highly true-to-life manner that many viewers would find disturbing and troubling to watch.

This is arguably Quentin Tarantino’s most stylish film, blending elements of grindhouse blaxploitation and samurai cinema. It’s also undeniably his most violent. Most of the violence is portrayed in a highly stylized and cartoonish manner, so it doesn’t hit nearly as hard as, say, “The Passion of the Christ.” But it’s incredible to see what Tarantino got away with. The final extended fight is particularly graphic, depicting a very anime-like style of vivid samurai action. The content of the film is also extremely dark and has the capability to distress viewers, despite its overtly-stylish manner. Tarantino is often criticized for his violence, and “Kill Bill” is a public statement proving that he doesn’t care.