Parents' Guide to Dead Shot

Movie NR 2023 92 minutes
Dead Shot movie poster: Headshots of four characters, two holding guns, with a red background

Common Sense Media Review

Alistair Lawrence By Alistair Lawrence , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

British-Irish period revenge thriller has bloody violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Dead Shot Trailer
  • Dead Shot: A young White couple walk through a clothing store close together looking concerned
  • Dead Shot: Two White men are seen through bars waiting next to a building
  • Dead Shot: A young Black man in army uniform with blood on his face looks to the right

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all
age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

 

 

See all 2 parent reviews
 

 

What's the Story?

DEAD SHOT follows a deadly war of revenge between a grieving member of the IRA (Colin Morgan) and a former SAS soldier (Aml Ameen).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

This competent action thriller is closer to the spiraling, Troubles-era Ireland violence of '71 than character-led terrorism dramas such as The Boxer. Dead Shot's "back from the dead" protagonist is nothing new, but Morgan dutifully stalks his way through the action as Michael, a grieving, retired Irish paramilitary searching for vengeance. Cast opposite him, Ameen does his best to make former SAS soldier Tempest more than a troubled foil for Michael's rage.

As usual for these type of stories, the dramatic irony rests in signaling to the audience that Michael and Tempest are more alike than either would recognize or admit. Both make choices and bargains that eventually trap them in a world where no one wins. Sadly, this conundrum is given little room to develop. With a score that feels too contemporary for the era and flat, grey cinematography, Dead Shot spends more time blasting its way through a repetitive series of shootouts and assassinations toward a predictable finale.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Dead Shot. Did the violent scenes help tell the story in an effective way? Was it shocking or thrilling? Why? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • How much did you know about the terrorism and violence that affected Britain and Ireland in the 1970s? Has it encouraged you to find out more? How to talk to kids about violence, crime, and war.

  • Discuss the strong language used in the movie. Was it necessary? What did it contribute to the movie?

  • Talk about the themes of loss and grief. How did it change the characters' motivations? What would have been a healthier way for Michael to deal with his trauma?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Dead Shot movie poster: Headshots of four characters, two holding guns, with a red background

What to Watch Next

See all

Best Action Movies

See all

Thriller Movies

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate