What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that some teens may be drawn to this political action adventure by its all-star cast of popular/award-wining actors (including Matthew Fox of Lost, Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver, and Forest Whitaker). The film revolves around a terrorist attack on the U.S. president and features scenes of explosions killing a crowd of people, a suicide bomber detonating in a posh hotel's lobby, high-ranking officials being shot at execution-style, and other bloody deaths. Language includes words like "s--t" and "bitch"; it's worth noting that there's markedly less commercialism and drug/alcohol use than in comparable films.
- Families can talk about how the movie portrays the United States, the president, and terrorists. Are there parallels to modern U.S. politics? How so? Is it common in recent films for the American government and its leaders to be shown negatively -- especially in films that take place abroad? Why or why not? What message do you think the movie is trying to send?