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Stop-Loss

(2008, Rated R, Drama, Starring Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Mature, violent war drama tackles heavy issues.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Characters break the law, get roaring drunk, and fight. In Iraq, soldiers are ambushed, shoot at civilians, save friends, and make mistakes.

  • Violence:

    A shooting at a checkpoint leads to an ambush, which includes more shooting, explosions, and bloody bodies. Images of body bags and wounded men on gurneys; flashbacks throughout the film cut to bloody, loud fighting. At home in Texas, two men fight (punching and wrestling). Drunken men shoot at bottles and a snake. A soldier hallucinates that his friend is drowned in a pool. Two friends argue over one giving his fiancée a black eye. A man hits his guards and escapes custody. Brandon describes a soldier's violent death. A soldier is beaten by three robbers; he then beats them and scares them with a gun, leaving with a very bloody cut over his eye. Rico is injured in Iraq: At the hospital, he's scarred, blind, and missing an arm and a leg. A character shoots himself off screen. Two friends fight in a cemetery, sputtering, falling, and bruising.

  • Sex:

    A video of a sergeant's girlfriend is sensuous (not explicit); his buddy comments on her "t-tties." When Steve is drunk, he strips to his underwear and passes out. Scantily dressed women appear at a distance; someone calls them "hookers" (and they look the stereotypical part).

  • Language:

    Pervasive language includes "f--k" (in both dialogue and song lyrics), plus "s--t" (with "bull-"), "damn," "ass," "hell," and "busting my balls." Racist use of the term "hajji" to refer to Iraqis.

  • Consumerism:

    Honda motorcycle, beer brands.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Heavy drinking (beer, tequila) and cigarette smoking at a welcome home celebration. A very drunk Steve digs a trench and wields his gun, and a drunk Tommy crashes his car. Soldiers, including Brandon, smoke cigarettes repeatedly and shoot at beer bottles and other objects while drunk. More drinking in a bar.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Stop-Loss

Parents need to know that this mature war drama features some pretty graphic violence, including shootings, explosions, and angry fistfights, all of which result in bloody injuries, broken bodies, and deaths. These images appear both in present-time and in traumatic flashbacks. There are some sexual allusions and rowdy slang; other language includes frequent use of "f--k" and other obscenities.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the impact of violent war imagery. Ask kids where they see disturbing images most -- on TV or the Internet -- and ask them how they deal with what they see. Families can also discuss what messages the movie is sending about war and the military. Is it the job of movies and TV shows to examine important social issues and current events? What other movies can you think of that have handled big topics in a similar way? How does this movie showcase the problem of stop-loss? Does it offer any solutions or resolutions?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    bleuskytx
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0

    So True to whats going on in the Army

    When I saw this, it was so right on the money. I can't tell them thank you enough for making this movie. Now is every one in America would go and see it. This is whats happening over there. This is what we don't see. I know for a fact this is right because of friend of mine was stop loss. These guys fight for us but when they have put in the time. Its only fair to give them our loyalty. They have done what they can. I support our men and women. Now if Congress and the president will just support our men and women.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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