R-rated movies are all about the stuff that the kids shouldn’t be able to see, or more importantly – hear. It’s a tag that gives carte blanche for filmmakers to go beyond the boundaries and tell darker, dirtier, or more violent tales, without having to work with one arm tied behind their backs. Sometimes, that means gratuitous sexual content, extreme graphic violence, or violet-shrinking profanity.
The latter has been a staple of R-rated movies for a long time, but some go way off the deep end in their effort to shock audiences. This is usually done for the sake of notoriety, in order to create a buzz, and many argue that it’s just not necessary. Whatever the case, some films are so obsessed with profanity that they could never be watered down for a PG rating.
Updated on December 30th, 2021 by Derek Draven: There’s no shortage of movies with heavy profanity, but some have gone way above the call of duty. There are a few more films worth mentioning that truly break all available molds, especially as it pertains to the use of the infamous F-bomb. One of them even managed to land a Guinness World Record for its potty-mouthed script, which is quite an achievement all by itself.
20 South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
• Available to stream on Pluto TV and Paramount+
South Park might have made a name for itself by pushing television boundaries with its raunchy adult cartoon humor, but the feature film was an entirely different thing. It let Trey Parker and Matt Stone off the leash to traumatize the ratings review board before it finally hit theaters.
The film contains a grand total of 399 swears, with 146 of them being F-bombs. While that’s somewhat tame compared to some other titles, it’s still an offensive film, especially when counting the 199 offensive gestures thrown in for good measure.
19 Scarface (1983)
• Available to stream on Showtime
This notorious Al Pacino classic continues to stand the test of time as one of the greatest crime movies ever made, and it’s got enough seediness and violence to last a few lifetimes. It’s also rife with profanity, thanks largely to a series of badass scenes featuring Tony Montana.
Ironically, Scarface ranks a bit low in terms of total F-bombs, with just 226 to its name. It feels like more when watching the film, perhaps due to the gritty subject matter, but Scarface is actually one of the lightweights when it comes to profanity.
18 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• Available to stream on HBO Max
Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut foreshadowed the kind of success he’d enjoy throughout the rest of his career, and it established his use of violence, profanity, and pop culture references as story devices. It’s the classic tale of diamond thieves who suffer a botched jewelry store heist that does not focus on the actual event, but the before and after.
At the time, it was attacked for its heavy use of profanity, which seems tame by today’s standards. Reservoir Dogs has 269 F-bombs attached to it, which is certainly up there in comparison to some of Tarantino’s other films, which don’t clock in nearly as high as this one.
17 Made (2001)
• Available to stream on HBO Max
Years after finding their big break with Swingers, Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn teamed up again for the crime comedy Made. The two actors played low-level criminals who take a job in a money-laundering scheme that quickly gets out of their control.
Given the fact that mob movies often feature a lot of swearing, it’s no surprise that a film about wannabe mobsters would feature similar language. Made features 291 uses of the F-word in its 94-minute runtime, most of which come from Vaughn as the loudmouth who thinks he’s a big shot.
16 Harsh Times (2005)
• Available to stream on Tubi
David Ayer’s movies are known for being intense and gritty crime dramas, and that is certainly the case with his directorial debut, Harsh Times. The movie features Christian Bale as a reckless former soldier who jumps from one dangerous robbery job to the next.
As with Ayer’s other movies, the violence is hard-hitting, and the language is colorful. Within 116 minutes, Harsh Times drops the F-word 296 times, along with a whole lot of other words and phrases that add to the messiness of the movie.
15 Narc (2002)
• Available to stream on Starz and Prime Video
Narc is another hardcore crime story that pulls no punches with its content. It follows a rattled undercover cop who joins a brutal detective investigating the murder of his partner. As they sink deeper into the crime world, the shocking truth begins to unravel.
With hard-edged characters and an intense murder case at the center of the story, Narc manages 297 F-words in 105 minutes. Add the violence and brutality of the movie, and it earns its R-rating with remarkable ease.
14 Goodfellas (1990)
• Available to stream on HBO Max
Martin Scorsese is one of the most versatile directors of all time, but he is probably best known for his mob films. Many would consider the best of the bunch to be Goodfellas, based on the true story of Henry Hill’s rise and fall within an organized crime outfit.
In a world where murder is so common, the fact that these characters swear a lot is probably the least offensive thing that they do. In the movie’s epic 146-minute runtime, there are 300 uses of the F-word. However, it’s the quality of the story that makes Goodfellas one of the most rewatchable crime films of all time.
13 Twin Town (1997)
Twin Town is a bizarre tale about two brothers in a dead-end town who decide to flip off the entire world in pursuit of illicit drug use and car thievery. After their father suffers an accident on the premises of a rich club owner, they demand compensation, whether he wants to give it or not.
A movie with such an obviously seedy premise wouldn’t shy away from the bad language, and there’s plenty of it to go around here. The profanity is captained by the dreaded F-bomb, which is dropped over 300 times during the course of an hour and forty minutes.
12 Running Scared (2006)
• Available to stream on Tubi
The late Paul Walker starred in his action thriller about a mafia member tasked with disposing of a gun used to murder police officers, only to lose track of it. Things quickly spiral out of control, and he finds himself a victim of his own dirty, violent lifestyle.
The film was a critical letdown and a box office flop, but it managed to gain some notoriety with its excessive profanity. Running Scared has a grand total of 315 F-bombs attached to its name, which is certainly up there.
11 One Day Removals (2008)
This 2008 film starred Patrick Wight and Scott Ironside as two removal men in a very consistent and uneventful job, who get caught up in a single bad day consisting of extraordinarily negative events. The switch from a regular, uneventful work life to a day when everything unravels is shocking, and it’s showcased via the actor’s performances.
The film has enough F-bombs to nab itself some notoriety, with a grand total of 320 attached to its 1 hour and 25 minute runtime. That means a lot of profanity wedged into a fairly tight narrative, which is understandable, given the subject matter in question.
10 End Of Watch (2012)
• Available to stream on Starz
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña starred in this crime drama about two South Central L.A. cops who patrol the streets with machismo and bravado at their side, believing they can take on anything. As it turns out, they’re in for quite a wild ride when a Mexican drug cartel moves to take them out.
The film has plenty of bad language to go around, including 326 separate F-bombs spread out over just under two hours’ worth of run time. It’s gritty and dirty, which lends a certain credibility to the film.
9 The Outpost (2020)
• Available to stream on Netflix
As a relatively new movie, The Outpost quickly earned its place among films with the most swear words. It tells the true story of a small group of United States soldiers holding a small base in Afghanistan, against hundreds of attacking enemies.
The intense battle sequences of the movie feature a lot of characters using profanity in the heat of the moment, which is fairly understandable given the circumstances. The result is 355 uses of the F-word in a 123-minute movie.
8 Alpha Dog (2006)
• Available to stream on Tubi and Prime Video
Justin Timberlake and Emile Hirsch starred in this crime drama by writer/director/actor Nick Cassavetes about a young boy taken hostage in exchange for a debt payment. The boy parties with his captors before things finally start to fly off the rails into chaos.
This drama about young adult angst, anger, and violence is mired in drugs, guns, and mayhem, so it’s only natural that the language would fit the subject matter. The result is 367 separate F-bombs spread across 2 hours of runtime.
7 Straight Outta’ Compton (2015)
• Available to stream on fuboTV
Any biographical film about the rise and fall of notorious gangsta’ rap group NWA is bound to be loaded with bad language (not to mention plenty of memorable quotes), and director F. Gary Gray certainly delivered on that front with a heavy 392 F-bombs within its 2.5-hour running time.
That’s to be expected. Not only did NWA take the world by storm in the early ’90s with its vicious brand of rebellious rap, but it also paved the way for an entire musical movement that later gave rise to a more pop-oriented variation on the genre.
6 Uncut Gems (2019)
• Available to stream on Netflix
Critics and audiences have clashed on Adam Sandler’s past movies, but Uncut Gems is quite different. Sandler plays a gems dealer with a serious gambling problem that has destroyed his life. Believing he has a clear shot to wiping out his debt and getting back on track, he pursues the sale of rare uncut gems to a rich buyer, but it’s not as easy as it seems.
The movie’s F-bomb count clocks in at 408 over the course of a little more than two hours, which is definitely getting up there in terms of a minute-to-swear ratio. It’s not the most profanity-laced film of all time, but it certainly earns its stripes.
5 Casino (1995)
• Available to stream on Showtime
In another of Martin Scorsese’s classics, he continues to prove he is the master of telling stories of violent men who rely on a particular kind of language. Casino is a mess of mafia murders, greed, and of course, plenty of expletives spewing left, right, and center.
Casino has around 422 F-bombs to its name. This, combined with the aggressive and unpleasant subject matter makes the film feel filthy and dysfunctional, which was precisely the intent.
4 Nil By Mouth (1997)
Chameleonic actor Gary Oldman took the director’s chair for this 1997 drama about a working-class London family besieged by drug use and violence, fueled by main character Raymond. A series of terrible decisions nearly costs him everything, before he’s able to get his life back on track.
The uncomfortable subject matter and the nihilistic tone of the film are a breeding ground for the kind of profanity that would probably make its way into a scenario such as this. As a result, the film has 428 F-bombs sprinkled over 2 hours and 8 minutes.
3 Summer Of Sam (1999)
• Available to stream on Hoopla
New York took center stage in this film about the infamous Son of Sam murders that took place in the year 1977. The film is told from the perspectives of main characters engaged in different relationships during the same period, as the killer begins murdering local victims.
It’s an expletive-ridden movie from Spike Lee that delivers an impressive 435 F-bombs doused over 2 hours and 22 minutes worth of runtime. Few films can’t even hope to reach this level of notoriety.
2 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
• Available to stream on Pluto TV
Depending on the source, there are an estimated 544-569 F-bombs in this instant classic starring Leonardo DiCaprio. While it is yet another Scorsese movie, The Wolf of Wall Street switches focus and proves that stockbrokers can out-curse mobsters.
The film is a hugely entertaining ride that blends comedy and drama together, with a host of thoroughly unlikeable characters that audiences simply can’t help but root for. Audiences should avoid watching it with their parents, children, or their Reverend.
1 Swearnet: The Movie (2014)
• Available to stream on Netflix
Trailer Park Boys stars Mike Smith, John Paul Tremblay, and Robb Wells created this 2014 comedy film where they starred as their real-life selves in a post-TV show era. They decide to create their own uncensored internet network, where they can curse their hearts out with no censors to keep them in check.
As a result, Swearnet was forced to live up to its name and succeeded beyond its wildest dreams. The Canadian trio managed to stuff an eye-watering 935 F-bombs into the film, which nabbed it a dubious Guinness World record.
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