Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Most Wanted

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Effective true-crime story has drugs, crooked cops.

Movie R 2020 125 minutes
Most Wanted Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Messy and overlong, this based-on-a-true-story crime drama still has an innovative structure and crisp, colorful performances that grab you, even as you feel enraged by its cruelty and corruption. With Most Wanted, writer-director Daniel Roby has figured out a creative way to tell the story from various ends, all meeting in the middle with a satisfying snap. This way, a variety of characters end up feeling more human -- they drive the story rather than being driven by it. Pilon is terrific, at first coming across as past redemption but eventually developing fears and hopes that make him appealing.

Gaffigan adds dark humor to his nasty, deceitful character, and McHattie is as grizzled as they come, broken by the fact that he's been overlooked for a much needed promotion. Hartnett swaggers across the screen with his long, flowing hair, but he too becomes likable thanks to his connection to his wife. Unfortunately, Crew has little to do other than wait for her husband and worry, and the only other major female character, played by Rose-Marie Perreault, disappears before she can leave much of a mark. Roby relies on irritating, wobbly hand-held camerawork for much of the movie, and it does occasionally betray a bit of self-importance and bloat, but overall Most Wanted works thanks to its focus and its life energy.

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 suggesting a diversity 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