Parents' Guide to

Armored

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Violent urban crime flick is too intense for tweens.

Movie PG-13 2009 88 minutes
Armored Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

joshua martinez
joshua martinez Adult
May 30, 2010
age 14+
armored is a good action movie but parents this movie does have a lot of intense violence that's goes way off the charts characters used a lot of strong language there's also some drinking, smoking, and drugs in the movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Indie-fan
Indie-fan Parent of 15 and 16-year-old
December 11, 2009
age 17+

Only for Adult audience

Acting is superb!!! for an action film, againg, all actors are good, and Matt Dillon delivers - once again! too bad, Hollywood under-utilizes this super-talented actor. He can really play ANYTHING, not just a tough/rough/macho whatever...
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Iraq War veteran Ty (Columbus Short) gets a job working with his godfather, Mike Cochrone (Matt Dillon), at an armored truck company. Ty has money troubles and is about to lose his late parents' house, as well as custody of his younger brother. But then Mike makes him an offer: Mike and four others (Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, and Skeet Ulrich) are going to rob one of their own trucks and cook up a fake heist to cover their tracks. Ty reluctantly agrees, but when the so-called "simple" job unexpectedly turns into a bloodbath, Ty changes his mind and decides to do the right thing. But will it be at the cost of his life?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (4):

Directed by Nimrod Antal, ARMORED has a pleasingly gritty feel thanks to its use of chilly, metallic urban locations. And at only 88 minutes, it's a very streamlined, no-nonsense genre film; it could almost be called a low-tech "B" movie. It has an economic way of developing its characters so that the situations come about as a result of the characters, rather than the reverse.

As things get going, certain small logic loopholes tend to crop up, and intelligent audience members will find themselves asking questions about some silly occurrences and images. ("Why didn't they just...?") But those who can sit back and roll with the movie's dynamic energy, atmosphere, and pacing may enjoy themselves in spite of these drawbacks.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Ty's initial decision to go along with the robbery plan. Why does he do it? What other options did he have? What would you have done?

  • Do you think Ty would have gone through with the robbery if everything had stayed according to plan? What messages do his decisions send to viewers?

  • What's the impact of the movie's violence? Is it increased by the fact that it wasn't supposed to happen? How does Ty's reaction to what goes wrong with the plan affect how you react to the bloody consequences?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: December 4, 2009
  • On DVD or streaming: March 16, 2010
  • Cast: Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Matt Dillon
  • Director: Nimrod Antal
  • Inclusion Information: Black actors
  • Studio: Screen Gems
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Run time: 88 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: sequences of intense violence, some disturbing images and brief strong language
  • Last updated: February 22, 2023

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