Hit Man: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and some violence.
A sly, sexy comedy-thriller best saved for older teens and adults. A mild-mannered philosophy professor poses as a hit man for police stings, then falls for a woman who tried to hire him to kill her abusive husband. The f-word comes up more than 80 times, and the couple's affair includes several frank sex scenes with brief partial nudity. Violence is mostly talk, but one man is killed on screen and another is shot offscreen. The story's moral choices are murky and played for dark laughs. The sex, language and that tone are why we suggest 16.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateMostly talk: Gary invents gruesome ways to kill and dispose of bodies, and Madison's controlling husband grabs and threatens her. On screen, a man is drugged and smothered with a plastic bag in a staged suicide, and another is shot offscreen.
Language
StrongPlugged In counted more than 80 f-words, some with 'mother,' and over 25 s-words, plus crude words for genitals, 'bitch,' 'slut' and frequent misuse of God's name.
Sex and nudity
StrongGary and Madison have sex in several scenes with movement and sounds, and two sources report brief side views of her bare breasts. Also lingerie, a couple bathing together, a strip club with women in lingerie, and talk of oral sex.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateAdults drink beer and smoke cigarettes and cigars, a cop sips from a flask on duty, a man is drugged unconscious, and there are jokes about cocaine and a drug deal.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateTension builds as Gary's fake identity pulls him toward real danger, including a gun pulled on him and an on-screen killing. Grisly murder methods are described in detail but not shown.
Sensitive topics
- Domestic abuse
Worth talking about
Gary reinvents himself by playing a confident stranger. Can a person really change who they are, and where does playing a role turn into lying?
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, movieguide.org, Wikipedia, the MPA, bbfc.co.uk. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.