“What the f**k is anR-rating?” is something you might ask if you don’t live in the U.S. It’s something that a movie will be hit with if its characters talk in the same filthy way that you do, essentially.Also, significant levels of violence, sexual content, or drug use can be responsible for getting a movie an R-rating, which means thatin the U.S., anyone under 17has to have an adult guardian to view such a film in cinemas.
The R-rating firstcame about in the late 1960s, which is also when American movies started being allowed to have more… well, “R-rated” content, for lack of a better term. It’s hard to shout out every great R-rated movie, because there have been so many over the last 50-ish years, but the following all rank up there as some of the very best of the best.
10’The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Even thoughThe Silence of the Lambsis intense and unpleasant at times, it’s also quite approachable and does stand as something that’s broadly entertaining. It gets the balance right, beingjust the right level of grossand, well, engrossing, and part of that comes from having one of themost iconic serial killers (Hannibal Lecter)in the history of fiction playing a large role in the plot.
But there’s also a compelling hero who has a strange yet intriguing dynamic with Lecter, the two working together uneasily to track down a potentially ever more dangerous serial killer.The Silence of the Lambsjustdoes everything right, as far as thrillers go. It’s hard to fault, and though it’s intense and pretty gruesome at times, it never feels like it goes too far or shocks just for the sake of being shocking.
The Silence of the Lambs
9’Raging Bull' (1980)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Raging Bullis a movie that’s unafraid to showhow brutal a sport like boxing can be, and the ferocity of the violence is exceeded by the emotional intensity of the story here.It’s a grueling watch, but by design, shedding a light on Jake LaMotta’s kind-of rise and inevitable fall, largely as a result of the aggression that helps him in the ring, but hampers his life outside it.
It’sfar from the only uncompromisingMartin Scorsesefilmto more than earn its R-rating, but there is something extra impactful to it that makes it worth shouting out as one of his most powerful and soul-crushing. It’sone of the gutsiest biographical moviesof all time, and thoughRaging Bullwill never feel like an easy watch, it will always remain an essential one.
Raging Bull
8’Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
Directed by James Cameron
There’s sometimes trepidationwhen it comes to having blockbustersmade with R-ratings in mind, butTerminator 2: Judgment Daystands as a feature-length argument as to whyfilmmakers and producers shouldn’t fear such a thing. It’s intense and impactful when it comes to violence and language, but it also doesn’t overstep boundaries. Everything is in tune, all in its right place. It’s one well-oiled machine of a movie.
You can also quite comfortably callTerminator 2: Judgment Dayone ofthe best sequels of all time, doing something a little different from the first film as far as scale goes, while still feeling true to the story told in that one. It’s moreTerminatorin some ways, but also a much biggerTerminatormovie generally speaking, all the whilebenefiting from some of themost well-choreographed action set piecesof all time.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
7’Do the Right Thing' (1989)
Directed by Spike Lee
“Hard-hitting” might be one of the best words to use to describe a film likeDo the Right Thing, given it’sSpike Leeat his most passionate and, arguably, his best. Most of the movie takes place across a single day, focusing on various people in one neighborhood all dealing with particularly hot weather, and finding certain issues and conflicts exacerbated because of that heat (and other reasons).
It all builds gradually throughout, inevitably exploding and saving most ofits boldest scenes for the final act, which is hard to forget, once seen. There’s inevitablehyperbole when talking about a filmthat has the legacy ofDo the Right Thing, but it still leaves a mark, and unpacks certain issues and ideas that remain distressingly relevant to this day, even though the movie itself was made more than three-and-a-half decades ago now.
Do the Right Thing
6’Pulp Fiction' (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Another movie that has a reputation that precedes it,Pulp FictionisPulp Fiction, and is one of the most 1990s movies of all the 1990s movies, generally in a good way.Quentin Tarantinomade an impression with the release ofReservoir Dogsfor sure, butPulp Fictionwas even more of a cinematic explosion, and still might be thebest thing he’s ever directed (and that’s saying something).
It’s alsoone of the most quotable moviesof all time, and a wonderfully chaotic one, thanks to having several different crime-related stories that aren’t strictly told in chronological order. As for a movie earning its R-rating?Pulp Fictionmore than does that,given its level of violence, the prevalence of drugs throughout, the incredibly profane dialogue, and everything going on with that infamous gimp scene(if you know, you know).
Pulp Fiction
5’Schindler’s List' (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberghas an interesting history withmovie ratings, particularly the PG-13 one, considering the likes ofTemple of DoomandGremlins(he was an executive producer for the latter) really exceeded what was generally acceptable in PG-rated movies. Plenty of his movies are PG or PG-13, but he’s not afraid to make something R-rated when it needs to be, as shown with the likes ofSaving Private RyanandMunich.
But it’sSchindler’s Listthat’s probably his greatest R-rated film, and perhaps just one of the greatest movies ever made regardless of rating. It doesn’t pull punches when it comes to content, but it isemotionally bold, in terms of showcasing unspeakable horror alongside glimpses of hope and heroism.Spielberg was at the top of his gamehere, as was frequent collaboratorJohn Williams, whose score forSchindler’s Listis just as haunting and moving as the rest of the film.
Schindler’s List
4’Goodfellas' (1990)
It would be a shame to assemblea cast like the one forGoodfellasand not let them swear their asses off, so it’s absolutely for the best that this classic gangster film ended up being very R-rated.Joe Pesciin particularhas turned swearing into an art form, and he’s at his best here (as are the likes ofRay Liotta,Robert De Niro,Paul Sorvino, andLorraine Bracco, too).
Covering multiple years in the life ofHenry Hill,Goodfellassucceeds inbeing a grounded yet strikingly stylish look at the ups and downs of being associated with the mafia. It’s another all-timer from Scorsese, and though later R-rated films of his likeCasinoandThe Wolf of Wall Streetmight’ve been more extreme with their content, neither are quite as great/grand asGoodfellas.
Goodfellas
3’The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)
Directed by Frank Darabont
ThoughThe Shawshank Redemptionis one of the most popular movies ever made, it is something thatgets undeniably dark at points. There iseventual catharsis and triumph, but the film puts its main characters through tremendous amounts of pain before such things are truly achieved.The Shawshank Redemptionnever feels overly cruel, though. As with some other already-mentioned movies, balance is struck remarkably well.
It’s a film about perseveranceset inside a high-security prison, but so much of what it has to say about life and its ups and downs can be applied to just about anyone, living anywhere, and at any time. At the risk of sounding corny,The Shawshank Redemptionis one of those films that’s genuinely all about the human condition, and that’s one of the main reasons it’s so (deservedly) beloved.
The Shawshank Redemption
2’The Exorcist' (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
Across a lengthy and varied directorial career,William Friedkinpushed his fair share of boundaries, perhaps never more infamously than he did withThe Exorcist. Its release in 1973 does make it one of the earliest R-rated movies (given the rating had only been around for a few years), and it’s also, arguably, one of the first R-rated films to still feel as though it more than earns an R-rating.
Because, sure,The Exorcisthasbeen referenced and parodied a ton, so it might not be as shocking today as it was 50+ years ago… but there is still something about it that, even with its pop culture ubiquity, feels unsettling and appropriately horrific. It’s an all-timer andone of the most important horror filmsever made, too,so if important/great R-rated movies are being talked about, it’s well worth mentioning.
The Exorcist
1’The Godfather' (1972)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
LikeThe Exorcist,The Godfatherwas released in the early 1970s and was a bold step forward content-wise, helping establish just what could beshown in New Hollywood filmsmaking use of relaxed censorship. It’s not particularly graphic or brutal nowadays, by gangster movie standards, but it’s easy to imagine certain sequences hitting hard and proving shocking back in 1972.
Hell, some scenes still have kick, like the one featuring a, uh, part of a horse, and another featuring a toll booth, to keep things vague in case you’re one of the three people in the world who hasn’t seenThe Godfatheryet. This film is also dark thematically in ways crime films before 1972 generally weren’t, or not to such an extent, andthat sense ofmaking mature crime movies for adult audienceswould be continued – or perhaps even furthered– in 1974’sThe Godfather Part II.
