Monkey Man is shaping up to be one of 2024’s most controversial and mature films. The gritty crime thriller has been rated R by the MPAA for “strong bloody violence throughout, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use.” Many other countries have given it equivalent R16-R21 ratings as well. If you’re considering seeing Monkey Man, this comprehensive monkey man parents guide breaks down all the extreme content to watch out for.
Sex & Nudity to Expect in Monkey Man
According to the monkey man parents guide on IMDb, Monkey Man contains severe sexual content and nudity that contributed to its R rating. In one particularly disturbing scene, a female character is violently sexually assaulted and brutalized to death in front of a child.
There are also sexualized female breast nudity scenes depicting prostitutes performing intercourse with explicit movements in a prominently featured brothel setting. Monetized female sexuality and sexualized imagery are present throughout these sequences.
In another instance, a man forcibly shoves his hand between a woman’s legs in a sexual manner. While there may be no outright pornography, the combinations of nudity, sexual situations, and depictions of sexual assault make the content extremely mature.
Graphic Violence & Gore in Monkey Man
By far the most extreme content in Monkey Man appears to be the graphic and unrelenting depictions of violence and gore. The parents guide labels the violence as “severe,” with 60 out of 73 viewers giving it the highest severity rating.
Characters are frequently and brutally beaten, stabbed, shot, strangled, burned and murdered on screen in bloody fashion. The guide specifically calls out “graphic, intense underground fight scenes” with “lots of punching, kicking, bloody wounds, bloody mouths, spitting blood and more.”
Some of the most disturbing violent moments include a character getting their nose bitten off, another impaled in the face with an axe, and a man graphically stabbed repeatedly before having his throat cut open. Clearly Monkey Man does not hold back on the gore.
Strong Profanity & Drug Use
Monkey Man also does not pull any punches when it comes to profanity and substance use. The monkey man parents guide notes a staggering 47 uses of the F-word throughout the film, along with other harsh profanities like “dick,” “shit,” “whore,” “bitch” and more.
In terms of drugs and alcohol, characters are frequently seen drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. More disturbingly, cocaine use is depicted a couple of times, while one character is shown experiencing visions after inhaling an unknown red powder substance.
Frightening & Intense Scenes
On top of the extremely mature content, Monkey Man maintains an overall dark, gritty and intense tone that may be frightening or disturbing for some viewers. The guide mentions the film frequently showing poverty and characters, including children, living in poor conditions.
Most harrowing of all is a scene where a child witnesses the violent sexual assault and brutal murder of their own mother. The film’s narrative is said to deal with themes of grief, trauma and a quest for revenge that are very psychologically intense.
Monkey Man is Absolutely Not for Kids
With all of its extreme violence, sexual assault, nudity, profanity and drug use, Monkey Man is clearly aimed at an adult audience only and is absolutely not appropriate for children or most teens.
The parents guide identifies major spoiler moments showing even more graphic content like a mother being whipped to death witnessed by her son, characters getting beaten to death, a woman’s finger chopped off, and depictions of a village raid with murders.
Monkey Man has received R ratings across the board, with the MPAA giving it an R specifically for “strong bloody violence throughout, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use.”
Only viewers aged 17 or 18 and above likely have the maturity level to properly handle and process this degree of extreme, graphic, adult-oriented content. Monkey Man is shaping up to be one of 2024’s most intense and controversial films.
Monkey Man Parents Guide
In summary, Monkey Man is shaping up to be one of the most controversial and mature R-rated films of 2024 due to its excessive violence, sexuality, language, and dark subject matter. While it has artistic merit, extreme viewer caution is advised given the graphic and disturbing nature of much of the content. It should be avoided entirely by younger audiences.
