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The Bone Collector

  • 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?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Grisly thriller with great performances; not for kids.

Themes in this movie include:   friendship, loss, physical abuse, revenge, substance abuse

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The film's characters send the message that trauma can be overcome through hard work and sincere effort, along with the support of friends.

  • Role models:

    Both main characters are dealing with trauma -- his physical, hers emotional -- and overcoming them with hard work and emotional honesty.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Grisly violence, with dead bodies aplenty; a man's spine is crushed by falling rock. A sharp blade punctures a man's hand; scary medical crises, including seizures. A woman is bound in front of a steam pipe, so that when it vents, we hear (but do not see) her being burned alive. We later see her body. Rats gnaw a corpse. A cop is shot point-blank. A woman is stabbed with a butcher knife. A man's hand is crushed by a collapsing bed; a man bites out another man's jugular. A man is shot at short range.

     

  • Sex:

    Some kissing; a couple is shown as lovers. Some light flirting and sexual tension.

  • Language:

    Frequent strong language, including "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "hell," "damn," "God" and "Jesus Christ."

  • Consumerism:

    Some brands visible or mentioned as part and parcel of the film, like Amtrak, Woolworth's, Timex, and more.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A paralyzed man requests vodka instead of juice. Many street drugs are shown and mentioned as part of a police demonstration educating officers.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Bone Collector

Parents need to know that while the thriller elements revolve around a gruesome serial killer, much of the plot revolves around a paralyzed forensics expert who, at the beginning of the film, is planning his assisted suicide with the help of friends. There is a lot of very graphic and grisly violence, with dead bodies aplenty. Characters are shot, stabbed, crushed, bitten, and killed in horrific ways. There is also frequent profanity and some drug references.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the challenges facing the severely disabled -- as well as the options, and support, they also have available. Talk about the ethics of physician-assisted suicide, as well as the kinds of injuries and hopelessness that would make this an option.
  • Discuss the popularity of fiction about inventive, diabolical serial killers, in spite of the much more prosaic reality of the phenomenon. What makes these characters such popular villains for Hollywood entertainment?
  • Families can talk about the popularity of police procedurals and forensics as an engine of suspense and drama; what does this say about our culture's thoughts about law and order?
Tools and tips that can help

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