John Wick: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use.
A slick, relentless revenge thriller for older teens and adults who can handle nonstop killing. A retired hitman grieving his late wife returns to his old life after a mobster's son breaks into his home and kills the puppy his wife left him. From there, the film is mostly stylized but bloody gunfights and brawls with dozens of deaths, head shots and stabbings. The puppy's death is the most upsetting moment. Expect 30-plus f-words, heavy drinking and smoking, and a mob boss smoking a joint. Sexual content is limited to revealing outfits. About 16 and up.
What's in it
Violence
StrongNearly constant and bloody: scores of people shot at close range, often in the head, plus stabbings, broken limbs and necks, torture, an execution and a woman beaten. A puppy is killed in a home invasion, with a trail of blood to its body.
Language
StrongPlugged In counted more than 30 f-words and over 10 s-words, some in subtitled Russian, plus 'cocksucker,' 'bitch' and 'goddamn.'
Sex and nudity
MildNo sex or nudity. A bartender in a low-cut top, a singer in a bodysuit, and bikini-clad women in a club pool, with the camera lingering on one woman's backside. A couple kisses in flashbacks.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongMobsters drink and smoke heavily, a mob boss smokes a joint, cocaine appears briefly at a party, and the hero swallows painkillers before a gunfight.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateGrief opens the film with a wife's illness and funeral, followed by a brutal home invasion. Later tension comes from violent standoffs rather than scares. The puppy's death is the moment most likely to upset viewers.
Sensitive topics
- Animal death
Worth talking about
The whole story runs on revenge. Ask your teen whether John's grief justifies what he does, and why revenge stories are so satisfying to watch.
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, the MPA, movieguide.org. 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.