It is an intense, but awesome movie. It is not extremely violent, but it's the language that makes this intense film R. There are f-words galore, but one might notice that it is mainly the villans that use it, showing what kind of men they are. If your child likes action, hostage situations, etc. than this is the movie for them. I would give this movie 4 stars, but language is so rough it makes it hard to enjoy it for a while. The role models are fantastic as Walter (Washington) tries to save the hostages of the subway and the film shows that not all heroes are perfect, that they make mistakes too. Top-Notch performances by both Travolta and Washington. So if you like action, intense movies, this is for you.