Boss Level Movie Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Boss Level Movie NR 2021 95 minutes

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 2 Reviews
• Kids Say 5 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Action/sci-fi time-loop tale is fun but excessively violent.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Boss Level is an action/sci-fi movie about Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo), who's stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day as he tries to survive relentless killers, rescue his wife and son, and save the world. The violence is gleefully outrageous, graphic,…

Why Age 16+? Violence & Scariness

Intense action violence. Guns (including high-powered assault weapons) and shoot

Language

Strong language is used frequently and includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t,"

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Intense drinking in one sequence. Main character downs two full bottles of baiji

Sex, Romance & Nudity

One character picks up another in a bar. Flirting, kissing. Character picks anot

Products & Purchases

Bottles of HKB liquor on display for long minutes. Video game convention mention

Any Positive Content? Positive Messages

The main theme here, amid all the action/violence, is perseverance: using trial-

Positive Role Models

Roy's perseverance makes him sometimes admirable, but he goes through periods of

• Parents Need to Know

  Parents need to know that Boss Level is an action/sci-fi movie about Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo), who's stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day as he tries to survive relentless killers, rescue his wife and son, and save the world. The violence is gleefully outrageous, graphic, and excessive, with lots of guns and shooting, characters being shot and killed (including by self-inflicted gunshots, with the knowledge that it's not permanent), high-powered weapons, swords, blades, beheadings, bloody wounds, explosions, car chases/crashes, an arrow through a chest, and more. Language is also strong, with many uses of "f--k," plus "motherf----r," "s--t," "son of a bitch," and more. Roy picks up a woman in a bar, and they flirt and kiss before he lifts her up and carries her to bed. He also drinks a lot and gets drunk in one sequence. Cigar smoking is also seen. The movie stumbles a bit over its own ideas at the end, but it's exhilarating, clever, and even touching.

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• Violence & Scariness

  a lot

  Intense action violence. Guns (including high-powered assault weapons) and shooting. Characters are shot and killed, including by self-inflicted gunshots (with knowledge that it's not permanent). Multiple beheadings. Explosions. Car chases and crashes. Fight with machete. Fighting with swords. Crashing through window, with glass pieces stuck in face. Arrow with rope through man's chest, dragging victim behind moving truck. Horrifying description of the taste of a burning tongue. A character pulls his own teeth out with pliers. Child threatened/killed.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

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• Language

  a lot

  Strong language is used frequently and includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "bulls--t," "a--hole," "son of a bitch," "ass," "pissed," "goddamn," "d--k," "douche bag," "moron," and "Jesus" (as an exclamation). Main character refers to a little person as a "dwarf."

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

  some

  Intense drinking in one sequence. Main character downs two full bottles of baijiu (Chinese white liquor) at a bar. He gets very drunk, but "resets" each day. Cigar smoking by villain.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Sex, Romance & Nudity

  a little

  One character picks up another in a bar. Flirting, kissing. Character picks another up and carries her to bed. Shirtless male.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Products & Purchases

  a little

  Bottles of HKB liquor on display for long minutes. Video game convention mentions several classic games by name (Street Fighter, etc.).

• Positive Messages

  a little

  The main theme here, amid all the action/violence, is perseverance: using trial-and-error to figure things out or improve skills.

• Positive Role Models

  very little

  Roy's perseverance makes him sometimes admirable, but he goes through periods of giving up, and he's somewhat cavalier about the violence he commits, and dismissive of and presumptuous about other characters. His murders don't specifically "count" because everything is going to be reset, but he still commits them. Asian characters are portrayed as one-dimensional martial arts experts. Other supporting characters are somewhat stereotypical too.

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Boss Level

Parent and Kid Reviews

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• Parents Say (2)
• Kids Say (5)

age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

See all 2 parent reviews age 13+

Based on 5 kid reviews

See all 5 kid reviews

What's the Story?

In BOSS LEVEL, former special forces officer Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) is stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again. From the moment he wakes up, he's fighting for his life, battling a group of killers who wield high-powered assault rifles, swords, machetes, etc. They're relentless, and they always seem to know where he is. He's never had a moment to think, and he has never survived past 12:47 p.m. Suddenly, he remembers a clue that his estranged wife Jemma (Naomi Watts) -- who works in a top-secret capacity as a scientist -- gave him the day before. He starts to discover more clues about his situation and finds ways to use time to his advantage. Now he must navigate this complex day, stop the army of killers, rescue Jemma and his son, finally face the dangerous Colonel Clive Ventor (Mel Gibson), and then prevent the end of the world.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (2 ): Kids say (5 ):

Yes, it's another time-loop movie, but this cheerfully relentless action flick comes out fighting and keeps up the pace, with pauses for a few clever ideas and some genuinely touching moments. Directed by Joe Carnahan, Boss Level proves once again that you can borrow the Groundhog Day idea and, like Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day, and Palm Springs, still add something new to it. In keeping poor Roy off-balance for the first chunk of the movie, the movie establishes a careening momentum that's positively energizing. Roy gets more sympathetic as we realize that, after some 140 days, he's given up; his main goal is to make it to the bar and drink until he's killed.

But hope comes in many forms. Roy running into his son (played by Grillo's real-life son, Rio), discovering the connection to Jemma, taking sword-fighting lessons, finding a tracking device, and using trial-and-error to learn and adapt all become touching, exhilarating checkpoints. Dreamed up by Chris and Eddie Borey, the story of Boss Level is thick and complex, with many events happening in many places, but Carnahan -- who's at his career best here -- keeps everything nicely balanced and beautifully paced. The main flaw is that there's so much going on that the ending ends up feeling a little unfinished. But Grillo, who finally has a solid breakout role here, gives a final little wink that makes it all seem OK.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

• Families can talk about Boss Level's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it thrilling or shocking? What's the difference? Did any of it feel gratuitous? Could the story have been told without it?

• How is drinking depicted? Why does Roy drink in this situation? Is it glamorized? Are there any consequences? Why does that matter?

• What's the appeal of time-loop movies? How does this one compare to others you've seen?

• What do you think you would do if you were stuck in a time loop?

• Does the movie glamorize video games or video game violence? Why, or why not?

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Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : March 5, 2021
• Cast : Mel Gibson , Frank Grillo , Naomi Watts
• Director : Joe Carnahan
• Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
• Studio : Hulu
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 95 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : March 17, 2021

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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.

Boss Level

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