What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this period action film earns its R rating with frequent scenes of hard-hitting, bloody violence. Weapons including swords, rocks, arrows, spears, spiky traps, chains, maces, and axes are used to decapitate, dismember, hang, beat, impale, stab, and crush victims (broken, rotting bodies are shown). Others die via drowning, avalanche, bear attack, falls, and more. Images of the mayhem range from aggressively chaotic to slow-motion poetic, with repeated shots of spurting blood (primarily from chests and necks). Most of the characters are bent on vengeance; the Vikings plan to exterminate the Native Americans (whom they call "savages") and are depicted as tall, dark monsters who tend to roar more than speak. When they do talk, they use a couple of mild swear words (in subtitles), including "bitch" and "damn."
- Families can talk about the role of violence in the movie. Is it appropriate for the story that's being told? Which parts, if any, are gratuitous? How accurate do you think it is? Families can also discuss the enduring mythology of the white hero. How is it significant that Ghost is white instead of Native American? How does he struggle with his double heritage? What does he learn about vengeance?