The film Patriots Day is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for its graphic violence, realistically depicted injury images, pervasive strong language, and a brief scene involving drug use. The rating reflects the film's intense and unflinching portrayal of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath, which includes content considered too mature and disturbing for viewers under the age of 17 without parental guidance.
The primary contributors to the R rating are the sequences of violence and their graphic results. The depiction of the bombing itself shows the immediate, bloody, and traumatic injuries sustained by victims, including severe wounds and dismemberment. The subsequent manhunt features intense, prolonged shootouts with heavy automatic weapon fire, such as the Watertown firefight, where characters are shot and grievously wounded. The film does not sanitize these events, opting instead for a realistic portrayal of the chaos and physical harm. Furthermore, the constant use of strong, profane language by law enforcement officials, victims, and perpetrators throughout the film is a significant factor, realistically reflecting the high-stress nature of the events but exceeding the limits for a PG-13 rating.
Ultimately, the R rating serves as a content warning for the film's immersive and often harrowing realism. The combination of sustained, brutal violence, graphic medical imagery, and relentless profanity was determined by the MPAA to be inappropriate for younger audiences. The filmmakers' choice to create a docudrama-style account of the real-life tragedy, with an emphasis on authenticity, necessitated the inclusion of this mature content, leading directly to the restricted classification.
