Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 15+
Feeble crime adaptation has violence, sex, alcohol misuse.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
A person falls to their death while rock climbing. Blood is seen on their face and close-up photos of injuries later shown. There's a brief funeral scene. People are shot dead and blood is seen on characters' clothing, as well as surrounding a body floating in water. Physical fighting includes punching, kicking, and headbutting, resulting in blood on the face and a scar on a character's cheek. Threats to kill. Body bags shown being wheeled away.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Sex is portrayed on-screen and a character's breasts can briefly be seen in low lighting. "Suck his d--k," is used to portray people's desire to pander to a character.
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Language
a lot
Language includes "f--k," "f--ked," "s--t," "bulls--t," "ass," and "d--k."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
A central character is reliant on alcohol and frequently drinks from a bottle of spirits as well as from miniatures, and uses breath freshener to disguise it. They mention the desire to drink until they black out. Characters drink shots, champagne, wine, and beer, and there are scenes in bars. People smoke cigarettes.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Mercedes-Benz car mentioned and frequently shown.
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Positive Messages
a little
It's important to have the courage to challenge power, but it can be dangerous and put others in peril. Power and manipulation often go hand in hand. Some people will go to great lengths for their own freedom. Things aren't always as they seem. Sometimes the road to redemption can be unexpected.
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Positive Role Models
a little
Nick is a Private Investigator who will take on most cases for the right amount of money. He's committed to uncovering the truth, and will go to great lengths—bribery and illegal activities—in the process. There's an implication he was controlling in a past relationship, and he relies heavily on alcohol to block out the memories, but gradually understands his behavior as he works on the case and makes some steps toward redemption by the end. Penelope keeps her cards close to her chest and doesn't trust others easily. She's manipulative toward Nick, but mostly to protect herself from the powerful people around her.
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Diverse Representations
very little
Most main characters are White. The central P.I. teams up with a Black police investigator, who is portrayed as capable and ethical, but there are no other non-White characters with prominent roles. Women are portrayed with a level of complexity, as victims in some senses but also powerful and manipulative in others, yet also fall into stereotype as the attractive wife of a rich man and the domineering matriarch of a crime family. The movie is directed by Black filmmaker Philippe Lacôte.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Killer Heat is a crime thriller—adapted from a short story by bestselling author Jo Nesbø—that centers on a death within a wealthy, powerful family, and the private detective (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) hired to investigate behind the scenes. People are shot dead and there are physical fights, both resulting in blood to clothes and bodies, and the central death involves a person falling while rock climbing. There's a brief sex scene that includes partial nudity in low lighting (breasts are shown). P.I. Nick Bali is dependent on alcohol and frequently drinks from bottles of spirits, and other characters smoke and drink. The movie falls quite heavily into stereotype and cliche, but adults and older teens who are fans of the genre, actors (Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden also star), or Nesbø's writing may find enough to keep them entertained for the relatively short runtime. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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Killer Heat
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What's the Story?
In KILLER HEAT, the son of a wealthy shipping magnate plunges to his death while rock climbing on the Greek island of Crete. American expat P.I. Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is hired by his sister-in-law, Penelope (Shailene Woodley), to prove it wasn't an accident. But with the powerful family ruling the island like gods, and the deceased's twin brother, Elias (Richard Madden), unwilling to cooperate, Nick must reach into some dark places to find the truth.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
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A hardboiled detective film set on the beautiful island of Crete, the movie mixes noirish stereotypes with sun-kissed settings in a languid and underwhelming adaptation of Jo Nesbø's short story. A cliched script and disappointing performances from a promising cast add Killer Heat to a long line of dissatisfying adaptations of the bestselling crime writer's work. Both Gordon-Levitt and Woodley deserve more from the material, which feels underdeveloped—the final twist(s) that emerge sticking out like sore thumbs from the start. A voiceover provides plenty of exposition for the generic genre staples: the alcoholic P.I. with a troubled family past, the alluring/mysterious wife of a rich man, the powerful family at the heart of the crime doing everything they can to keep investigators at bay. It's watchable but generic and the most memorable aspect will likely be the vacation-worthy landscapes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the stereotypes in Killer Heat. What stereotypes did you notice? How was gender portrayed in the movie? Which characters appeared to have the most power and did you think that was connected to their gender?
Discuss the violence in the movie. Did you think it felt over the top? Did you find the violence scary? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How did the movie portray sex and relationships? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
How was drinking depicted in the film? Was it glamorized? How did some characters use alcohol as a coping mechanism?
Discuss the strong language used in the movie. What did it contribute to the film? Is a certain kind of language expected in a movie like this?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: September 26, 2024
- Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Richard Madden
- Director: Philippe Lacôte
- Inclusion Information: Black directors, African directors, Female actors
- Studio: Amazon Prime Video
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Book Characters, Brothers and Sisters
- Run time: 97 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language, some sexual content/nudity and violence
- Last updated: October 8, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
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Killer Heat
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