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Slow Burn

(2007, Rated R, Thriller, Starring Ray Liotta, Mekhi Phifer, LL Cool J)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 16.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Sluggish thriller mixes flashbacks and deception.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Everyone (cops, lawyers, and criminals) lies; several characters have secret identities; much discussion of racial "passing" (the term "wigger" is used in that context).

  • Violence:

    Early shot of dead body with bloody gunshot wound in head; blood on murder suspect's face; flashback to a rape scene shows a man grabbing a woman and her screaming; discussion of a rape exam; many characters carry and shoot guns; cops shoot at fleeing suspects (later viewers learn they're dead); cops bust through a door; fighting and pushing between individual men; riot scene shows burning buildings and people rushing around; gas explosion takes out a city block.

  • Sex:

    Several passionate kissing scenes (without nudity); woman appears in shower (behind blurry glass door); several sex scenes shot in soft-filter close-up (a couple of scenes are set in beds, while one takes place on a desk; in one scene, breasts are momentarily visible); glimpse of tattoo on woman's bottom before her lover kisses it; brief cleavage; a couple of shots of a man's bare bottom.

  • Language:

    Language includes the usual cop-movie fare: several uses of "f--k" (once in French), as well as "ass," "hell," and "s--t," "damn," and "son of a bitch." The "N" word is used by African-American characters.

  • Consumerism:

    References to Vanity Fair magazine, Oprah, Tiger Woods, Regis Philbin, Michael Jordan, Die Hard, Sotheby's, Tupac.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Drinking at parties; cigars and cigarettes smoked; repeated references to drugs in context of investigations, including "feeling high," "rock," "crackheads," and "busted for drugs."
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Slow Burn

Parents need to know that although LL Cool J has a small part in this movie, it's not targeted at fans of his children's books or romantic comedies. Slow moving and visually stylized, the film features frequent blood and violence (mostly with guns, plus a couple of explosions), as well as frank discussions of sex (several scenes show nude body parts). The movie's weighty, complex theme of racial "passing" connects to other forms of double crossing and corruption. Discussion of drugs in relation to investigations; profanity includes multiple uses of "f--k," "s--t," "ass," and more.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the idea of racial "passing." What perspective does this movie take on the topic? How does it tie in with the movie's general theme of deception? How do multiple versions of events, remembered differently by different characters, elaborate on the subject of race identity? How have previous movies and TV shows dealt with the issue of "passing"?
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