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Parents' Guide to

Deadfall

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Violent Thanksgiving-set thriller isn't family friendly.

Movie R 2012 95 minutes
Deadfall Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

age 15+

Not my cup of tea...

I didn't enjoy this film very much at all, which was a letdown because I was really looking forward to it as I love thrillers, just not this type. It starts off promising but gets dull pretty fast, not enough action. I couldn't seem to get into it. It's fairly violent with quite a bit of sexual content (two sex scenes - one with brief nudity), and the language is somewhat strong with common uses of the "f" word, sh*t, b*tch, d@mn, hell...etc. There is drinking throughout. Absolutely not recommended for kids under 16!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

It's somewhat of a surprise that DEADFALL is such a good, strong, compact pulp thriller. Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky won an Oscar for his overrated WWII movie The Counterfeiters and was responsible for another, very bad one, All the Queen's Men. But Ruzowitzky's filmmaking is much clearer and more confident in this terrain, using the snow and cold for maximum effect, both in separating characters and bringing them closer together.

The ensemble cast is well balanced, and the complex, nuanced relationships between families build many fascinating layers. In fact, certain plot threads -- such as Jay's accidental murder victim -- are all but dropped in favor of further character development, which is actually refreshing. Addison's extreme brutality makes the mix a bit too top heavy at times, but his early moments with Liza also go a long way in establishing his place. It's this excellent character balance that makes Deadfall so compelling.

Movie Details

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