Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Poster

Parents Guide

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Certification

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MPAA Rated R for strong violence including brutal disturbing images, and for language
Certification

Sex & Nudity

  • Male prisoners are stripped of their clothes but nothing more than a bare butt is ever shown
  • Women are shown dancing in a club.
  • Women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage in a couple of scenes.
  • A woman asks another woman if she and a man have "hooked up yet" and says, "A little fooling around wouldn't hurt you."
  • A man says that he is leaving his job as an interrogator and says that he has "seen too many guys naked."

Violence & Gore

  • A prisoner of war is interrogated over the course of months. Methods include blasting heavy metal music for a whole night, being led by a dog leash, and being shoved into a cabinet.
  • A gun assault in Saudi Arabia is shown. We see many gunmen and extensive gunfire. Many injured victims are shown. A main character's vehicle comes under heavy gunfire and she barely makes it out alive as bullets bounce off the bullet proof glass.
  • The final assault on Bin Laden's compound is quite violent. Men and women are shot at close range. We see bloody shootings. Bodies are shown being carried out in body bags.

Profanity

  • About a dozen s-words are also used, and other frequent profanities, which include "dick," "ass," "bitch" and "hell".
  • God's name is used three times (paired once with "d*mn").
  • 50 uses of the F-word. Some in a sexual context, some combined with the word "mother".

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

  • A woman smokes and drinks a beer at a restaurant.
  • Several people smoke, and prisoners are offered cigarettes as incentives.
  • Wine, beer and other drinks are consumed.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • The first 40 minutes of the film are intense, as it depicts the CIA interrogating a prisoner.
  • A few instances of sudden violence, such as sudden explosions or shootings.
  • The last 45 minutes, the raid on bin Laden's compound, are intense due to the levels of suspense but not extremely violent. However, it is complicated by one of the helicopters malfunctioning and crashing in the compound. This leads to the surrounding neighborhood being roused and the soldiers have to threaten the gathering crowd to make them keep their distance. In addition, the Pakistani military is alerted and the commandos have only a few minutes to complete their mission and leave before Pakistani soldiers arrive. Before departing, a few soldiers are left behind to destroy the downed helicopter of secret design and it is not known if they managed to reach friendly territory.

Spoilers

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

Violence & Gore

  • There are some explosions, many from suicide bombers. A bus explodes. We see the aftermath, and one injured man, his head bandaged and moderately bloodied and burned via a news broadcast. A bomb goes off at a restaurant where the main characters are eating dinner. Six characters are killed when their informant shows up to a meeting and suicide bombs the location.
  • The main character ID's Bin Laden's dead body by opening the body bag at the end of the film.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

  • There is a reference to a drug dealer as being a possible alternative for who might be living in, what is later to be revealed as Osama Bin Laden's hideout. There is a discussion about how the possible drug dealer would operate his business and how he would live his life.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • The raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound includes depictions of children clearly traumatised by witnessing the death of their parents. The soldiers are seen trying to comfort them. This part of the raid is distressing.
  • The first minute of the film features actual audio of victims from the September 11 attacks. They play during a black screen and are disturbing and emotional to listen to.

See also

Taglines | Plot Summary | Synopsis | Plot Keywords


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