10 Best Rated-R Movies on Prime

For decades, Hollywood and filmmakers have been pushing the envelope and creating some truly unforgettable and daring R-rated films, with some of the industry’s most revered pictures rocking the risque rating. From celebrated classics like Animal House and Taxi Driver to modern-day marvels like Pearl, the silver screen has seen its fair share of exhilarating movies featuring daring and unapologetic premises, characters, and visuals.

Fans of the bold rating and those with a Prime Video subscription are in for quite a treat, as the juggernaut streaming platform is constantly acquiring a dynamic assortment of films of every genre available at their disposal. Right now, Prime has a slew of fan-favorite comedies, crime dramas, war epics, and action extravaganzas starring iconic performers like Tom Hanks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jodie Foster, and Steve Carell. Here are 10 of the best rated-R movies to watch on Prime.

‘The Beekeeper’ (2024)

Action hero Jason Statham’s latest big screen extravaganza was in the exhilarating 2024 thriller The Beekeeper, in which he portrays a retired former operative from a highly classified program who sets out on a mission for vengeance after his compassionate landlady tragically takes her life after falling prey to a phishing scam. Statham’s character, Adam Clay, begins to meticulously take down the money-hungry scammers responsible for her death, waging an epic war against a powerful company and its affluent technology executive overseeing the scam.

Statham Delivers to the Masses

The Beekeeper proved to be quite a success with both critics and moviegoers alike, grossing over $152 million and spending its first eight weeks of release in the top 10 films at the domestic box office. It was one of Statham’s most well-received projects, earning a 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 92% audience score, with the exciting leading man being in top-tier form in the action flick and dazzling his fans with his electrifying physical prowess and commanding on-screen presence. Though some have called The Beekeeper a John Wick knock-off, Statham nonetheless makes the most out of both the character and thriller.

‘The Boondock Saints’ (1999)

Before he was killing zombies with his trusty crossbow on a weekly basis, Norman Reedus appeared alongside Sean Patrick Flannery as vigilante fraternal twin brothers Murphy and Conner MacManus in the 1999 action thriller The Boondock Saints. In the gripping picture, the fearless Irish Catholic twins take on Boston’s criminal underworld after killing two Russian mafia members in an act of self-defense, and they set out to rid the city of dangerous undesirables in the name of God, all the while being hunted down by a determined FBI Special Agent (Willem Dafoe).

Celebrated ’90s Cult Classic

Troy Duffy made his directorial debut with the underrated gem, drawing inspiration for its premise after witnessing a drug dealer take money from a dead body across the hall from his Los Angeles apartment. The Boondock Saints was given a limited release due to the Columbine High School massacre and was subsequently a box office failure, though because of word-of-mouth and home video release, it grossed $50 million in sales and emerged as a bona fide cult classic. A sequel titled The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day reunited Reedus and Flannery, and a third film with the actors is currently in development.

‘Road House’ (2024)

A remake of the Patrick Swayze ’80s classic, the 2024 action flick Road House features Jake Gyllenhaal as the tough-and-troubled former UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, who, after falling from grace in his brutal profession, is offered a job as a head bouncer at a Florida Keys road house that often attracts some dangerous, low-life patrons. Dalton inadvertently finds himself attracting the unwanted attention of a violent local gangster looking to expand his empire, with the criminal tasking the psychotic enforcer Knox (Conor McGregor) to get rid of the resilient bouncer once and for all.

Gyllenhaal & McGregor’s Epic Showdown

Road House marked UFC champion McGregor’s acting debut, and fans of both the fighter and Oscar-nominee Gyllenhaal were thrilled to watch the two men duke it out on screen in the adrenaline-pumping film. Despite getting a mixed response from critics, the action film attracted a record-breaking 50 million viewers worldwide on Prime Video within just its first two weekends and went on to become the studio’s “most-watched produced film debut ever on a worldwide basis.” Due to the exceptional viewership numbers and positive fan response, a sequel was officially announced to be in development with Gyllenhaal reprising his role as the resilient Dalton.

‘The Voices’ (2014)

To the outside world, Jerry Hickfang (Ryan Reynolds) is a cheerful and kind factory worker in a small town, but when he is home alone, he struggles with mental health issues, which also extend to him believing his cat and dog talk to him. When Jerry accidentally kills one of his coworkers, a longtime crush in Fiona (Gemma Arterton), he begins to spiral into a cycle of violence.

Killer Advice From Furry Friends

The Voices is a wonderful blend of dark humor, horror, and those ‘awe-inducing’ moments, thanks to its inclusion of a talking cat and dog (even when they discuss murder). The Marjane Satrapi film also gave Ryan Reynolds one of his best and most underrated performances, an oddly charming killer who copes with the reality he finds himself in through his pets. A quirky horror comedy with moments of over-the-top violence, a rom-com element, and psychological drama, there is a lot to love about this unique gem.

‘Let the Right One In’ (2008)

Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In follows a young boy named Oskar who meets a peculiar friend in Eli. As Oskar becomes increasingly fascinated and involved with his strange friend, he begins to slowly believe her claims of being a vampire. By the time Oskar is committed to help protect Eli, he has already found himself an unwilling helper in her need for blood to sustain herself.

One of The Best Vampire Movies Ever Made

The popularity of vampire movies seems to ebb and flow, but a revitalization often comes with a film offering a fresh perspective on the tired tropes of the horror subgenre. Let the Right One In delivered an emotionally resonating and visually stunning vampiric tale that melded with coming-of-age themes to create a melancholic entry into the genre unlike anything before it. The film would become highly influential in the earlier wave of artistic, contemplative horror that would later come to dominate the modern landscape of horror through companies like A24. There is an American remake, but stick to the original.

‘RoboCop’ (1987)

Set in a crime-ridden, near-future Detroit, RoboCop opens with the death of earnest and hardworking cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller)​​​​​​. Seen as an ideal candidate for Omni Consumer Products’ newest plan to create an enhanced cyborg police force, Murphy’s body is used to make the prototype, known as RoboCop. While at first a blank slate, Murphy’s memories slowly come back to him, and he becomes a force to combat the corrupt corporation that made him

The Sci-Fi Action Classic That Started A Beloved Franchise

A clever satire of corporate greed and urban decay packaged in sci-fi action package, RoboCop became one of the most iconic characters of the ’80s. This legacy has endured through sequels, remakes, TV series, comics, fan recreations, and video games. Yet, despite the amount of other media created around the film, Paul Verhoeven’s ’80s classic remains the best, most iconic, and most revered.

‘Censor’ (2021)

Set in 1985 during the infamous “video nasties” era of censorship in Britain, Censor follows Enid Baines (Niamh Algar), a meticulous and dedicated censor working for the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Her drive to ban violent content from the public stems from past trauma, with her sister mysteriously disappearing decades previously, whom Enid believes is still alive despite others saying she was murdered. When one film shows a woman she believes to be her grown-up sister, Enid begins a desperate search to find out more information about the film that leads her down a path of violence and delusion.

A Nostalgic Trip to the ’80s

The use of 35mm film, VHS aesthetics, and muted color palettes immediately immerses the viewer in the era of ’80s horror. Censor is an oddly nostalgic trip back to the era. Still, its approach to horror is more modern, subversive, and abstract, with an emphasis on contorting the viewer’s understanding of events through an unreliable protagonist. For long-time horror fans, the movie also addresses the concerns about censorship and moral panic that have long followed the genre and still exist today.

‘Goon’ (2011)

Seann William Scott plays Doug Glatt, a bouncer from Minnesota who, despite his lack of hockey experience, is tapped to play for a minor league team after being noticed for his fighting ability in the crowd of a game. Now an ‘enforcer,’ Doug falls into the role and becomes one of the most feared players on the ice, while dealing with personal relationships and mixed reactions from his team to his brutish performance. The film culminates in him facing off against another enforcer in Ross “The Boss” Rhea (Liev Schreiber).

The Best Game You Can Play

For an indie Canadian feature, Goon ended up garnering an ample following on release, thanks to being a love letter to hockey, which featured genuine moments of heart and humor. At the same time, the movie poked fun at the sport’s reputation for violence, which has made many a player rise up the ranks with their ability to be physical on the rink being greater than any other skill; its on-ice violence is one of the main reasons the movie got hit with an R-rating. Ultimately, everyone loves an underdog story, and the surprise popularity of Goon would even get Seann William Scott’s Doug Glatt back on the ice for Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017).

‘Escape From New York’ (1981)

Directed by the revered John Carpenter, Escape From New York is set in a near-dystopian future where Manhattan has become a lawless urban jungle used to house America’s prisoners. When the president’s plane helicopter crashes in the area, and he is abducted and ransomed out, the military forcefully deploys Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a criminal and former special services soldier, to get him out.

Can Never Go Wrong with a Classic John Carpenter Flick

Kurt Russell’s iconic performance as Snake Plisken is reason enough to indulge in this over-the-top and gritty 80s action classic. While creating a bleak DMZ is not a new concept anymore, Escape From New York took the idea of turning Manhattan into a giant prison and delivered both visually and in the chaos one would expect with a large, government-abandoned prison. Of course, John Carpenter brings the needed grit and dark humor, along with a killer score, that has made the action film an enduring cult classic.

‘Saltburn’ (2023)

Socially awkward and from a humble background, Oxford student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) becomes entranced by his fellow student, the confident and affluent Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). After the unexpected death of his father, Oliver receives a surprise invitation from Felix to help take his mind off things and join him at his family’s estate, Saltburn. Oliver ends up meeting the eccentric family members, and while trying to fit in, becomes aware of darker secrets that the family has been harboring.

Dark Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

A perfect ensemble cast, capturing a wide range of eccentric characters, makes Oliver’s navigation of the morally ambiguous life of an affluent family a devilishly enjoyable affair. Provocative with a dark wit, the film needed an R rating to touch on the darker side of the bourgeoisie. As one of Amazon Prime Originals, the movie helped elevate the platform as Saltburn deservedly became one of the most discussed films ever released by the streaming giant.