Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
It's 1949 and two young Texans (Matt Damon and Henry
Thomas) ride into Mexico looking for cow-herding jobs. Damon falls in love with the
daughter (Penelope Cruz) of his wealthy boss but differences of class, status and culture
become barriers to their happiness. Based on Cormac McCarthy's novel. Also with Lucas
Black, Rubén Blades, Penélope Cruz, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Robert Patrick, Bruce Dern, Sam
Shepard, Miriam Colon and Jesse Plemons. [2:15]
SEX/NUDITY 3 - A few kisses. We see a presumably nude couple in a lake --
only their shoulders are visible; the sides of her bare breasts are visible for a second
but it's too dark to discern anything. They swim toward each other and embrace. We see a
couple in bed, apparently making love. The tops of her breasts
are very briefly visible. We
see a man without a shirt, a teen in his underwear and a woman in a night gown.
VIOLENCE/GORE 6 - There are several very tense scenes: We hear two gunshots
and we know that a teen was executed, but everything happens off screen. A man is shot in
the leg; we see blood on his pants. Later he heats the barrel of a pistol and touches his
wounds with it in an attempt to cauterize them. We see a man's discolored, swollen,
bruised and somewhat bloody feet. A man is bruised and in pain after he's been beaten up.
A man punches another man viciously in the stomach. Two men are attacked, slammed and
beaten. During a knife fight a man's face is slashed and his chest stabbed; we see a long
bloody cut on his cheek. Another man is stabbed several times in the stomach and is
killed. Several men are shot at. Two men are repeatedly thrown off mustangs they're trying
to break. We see a man in a hospital bed and a doctor pulls a bandage off his chest,
revealing a stitched up wound. A man lowers his pants to show two small scars on his leg.
A man attacks another man, throws him to the ground and seems to try (very briefly) to
strangle him. Some threatening with guns.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 3 - Almost 20 scatological terms, a few anatomical terms, several
religious exclamations, several insults and several obscenities. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Texas, Mexico, judiciary and police systems, class and
money, bribes.
MESSAGE - In the 1940's the American judicial system was enlightened and
honest, while the Mexican police and prisons were corrupt and brutal. Sometimes keeping a
promise is more important than happiness.
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
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