Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Extreme sex, booze, drugs, swearing in crooked-cop story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Filth
What's the Story?
In Edinburgh, detective sergeant Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) looks forward to getting a promotion, knowing he's the best man for the job. His loving wife agrees. Everything seems great until Bruce is assigned to investigate the murder of a Japanese student, and his life starts coming unraveled. He can't seem to stop scheming, such as making obscene phone calls to the wife (Shirley Henderson) of a close friend (Eddie Marsan) and disparaging the manhood of a rookie cop (Jamie Bell). He increases his drinking, drugs, and illicit sex and starts hallucinating. Before long it becomes apparent that nothing in Bruce's world is quite as it seems. Can Bruce come to terms with the source of his pain before it's too late?
Is It Any Good?
Adapted from a novel by Irvine Welsh, FILTH belongs to a subgenre that pushes the limits of character behavior. In The Wolf of Wall Street and Dom Hemingway -- which fall in the same subgenre -- the main characters indulge in debauchery of every kind, which provides vicarious fun for viewers and is certainly great fun for the actors. Here, McAvoy similarly gives it his all, fearless, energetic, and lunatic. (He starts by snatching a child's balloon and firing off two middle finger gestures.)
A colorful roster of somewhat cartoonish supporting characters helps set the mood, ranging from Jim Broadbent's creepy psychiatrist to Henderson's purring housewife. When the movie sticks to this plan, it works, but eventually it comes to a kind of twist that feels like a small betrayal. A main character like this requires total honesty; he needs to reveal everything. Unlike other movies based on Welsh's works (Trainspotting, The Acid House), the world of Filth is too limiting to contain its characters. It needs a bit more style.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the main character's horrible behavior. Is it fun to watch, or is it disturbing? Is the character having fun? Is the actor having fun?
How does Filth compare to The Wolf of Wall Street and Dom Hemingway? Do theses movies encourage or reward characters' bad behavior? What message does that send?
Why does the main character take so many drugs and smoke and drink so much? Does he enjoy these things, or is he using them to deal with problems? How?
How does the movie portray sex? How are the main character's encounters/habits hurtful to himself and others?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 30, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : August 12, 2014
- Cast : James McAvoy , Jamie Bell , Eddie Marsan
- Director : Jon S. Baird
- Studios : Magnet Releasing , Magnolia Pictures
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, language and some violence
- Last updated : July 24, 2022
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
Suggest an Update
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