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R-Rated Films With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Scores

R-Rated Films With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Scores

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Courtesy of Embassy Pictures

The Sadist (1963)

Courtesy of Fairway International Pictures

Heat (1972)

Courtesy of Levitt-Pickman

The Big Bird Cage (1972)

Courtesy of New World Pictures

Smithereens (1982)

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

Courtesy of Embassy Pictures

The Terminator (1984)

Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Hamburger Hill (1987)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Swimming to Cambodia (1987)

Gabe Palacio / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Deadly Pursuit (1988)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Passion Fish (1992)

Courtesy of Miramax

The Music of Chance (1993)

Courtesy of IRS Media

Three Colors: Red (1994)

Courtesy of Miramax

Before Sunrise (1995)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Things Behind the Sun (2001)

Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003)

Courtesy of Arrival Pictures

The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (2006)

Fer Gregory / Shutterstock

Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

Courtesy of THINKFilm

Gloria (2013)

Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Mickey and the Bear (2019)

Courtesy of Utopia

Crip Camp (2020)

Courtesy of Netflix

Is That Black Enough For You?!? (2022)

Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

The Sadist (1963)
Heat (1972)
The Big Bird Cage (1972)
Smithereens (1982)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
The Terminator (1984)
Hamburger Hill (1987)
Swimming to Cambodia (1987)
Deadly Pursuit (1988)
Passion Fish (1992)
The Music of Chance (1993)
Three Colors: Red (1994)
Before Sunrise (1995)
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
Things Behind the Sun (2001)
Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003)
The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (2006)
Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
Gloria (2013)
Mickey and the Bear (2019)
Crip Camp (2020)
Is That Black Enough For You?!? (2022)

It's hard to predict which films will do great at the box office, and be widely accepted by viewers, and which will fall flat. There is no magic formula to know what topics or storylines will rise to the top. When it comes to certain film genres, particularly those rated R that typically have a lower box office share because of their rating restrictions, knowing which one should be added to your watch list or passed by can be more challenging.

The film rating system was introduced in 1968 by the Motion Picture Association of America as a way to help parents determine what was appropriate for their children to watch. The R-rating (for restricted) was assigned to more than half of the movies evaluated. This rating restricts viewers under the age of 17 unless they are accompanied by an adult parent or guardian because of its mature content, often including gore, alcohol or drug use, nudity, profanity, and violence.

Although many R-rated films feature mature content, some of the best R-rated movies use this rating as a license for creative freedom that often explores ideas and themes not found in those movies rated G, PG, or PG-13. Several R-rated movies have received critical acclaim, and have even won Academy Awards. Another indication of a film's remarkable quality, despite its rating, is getting a perfect score on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, which reflects the collective opinion of a wide range of critics.

After reviewing Tomatometer ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, 24/7 Tempo identified R-rated films with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score as of July 2024. These films, excluding documentaries, are listed in chronological order by release date. Cast and director credits are sourced from IMDb, an online database of movies and TV shows owned by Amazon.

Making the list are several exploitation films from the 1970s, war movies, coming-of-age stories, and crime films. A few comedies and action adventures have earned perfect scores too, along with a few award-winning independent films that debuted at festivals. (Overall, these are the top-rated R-rated movies of all time.)

Here are the best R-rated movies with perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores:

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