Prisoners: parents' guide
Best for ages 17 and up. Rated R for disturbing violent content including torture, and language throughout.
A harrowing crime thriller for mature older teens and adults about child kidnapping and torture. When two young girls vanish on Thanksgiving, one father abducts and repeatedly tortures the man he suspects, while a detective hunts for the truth. Expect prolonged, bloody torture scenes, a suicide by gunshot, shootings, a girl drugged nearly to death, and close to 50 f-words. Grieving parents drink heavily and lean on pills. There is no sexual content, but the film is relentless and raises hard moral questions. The torture and children-in-danger story are why we suggest 17.
What's in it
Violence
StrongProlonged, hard-to-watch torture: a suspect is beaten until his face is swollen and bloody, then scalded in a boxed-in shower. A man shoots himself in the head, a woman is shot in the head, and bloody children's clothes are found. A teen shoots a deer.
Language
StrongConstant. Plugged In counted close to 50 f-words and about a dozen s-words, plus "hell," "ass," "goddamn" and misuse of Jesus' name. A father yells and swears at his teenage son.
Sex and nudity
NoneNo sexual content. Married couples share comforting embraces, a teen girl is briefly seen in a bathtub with only her head and shoulders showing, and a priest is said to be a registered sex offender.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateA grieving mother stays heavily sedated on prescription pills, a father who had been sober for years drinks until he passes out, and a priest is found very drunk. A kidnapper drugs captives' drinks, and a child is injected with a near-fatal drug.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongSustained, intense dread. Two little girls are missing for most of the film, a man is trapped in a pit, and captivity scenes with screaming victims are deeply upsetting. A young man chokes a dog, and the killing of past child victims is revealed.
Sensitive topics
- Child abuse
- Suicide
- Death of a child
- Animal death
Worth talking about
A desperate father decides torture is justified to save his child. Ask whether good ends can excuse cruel means, and what the film says about fear and faith.
On our lists
Similar picks around 17+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, the MPA, movieguide.org, Wikipedia. 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.