Unthinkable

Parents need to know that Unthinkable is a violent thriller with terrorism and torture featuring heavily along with some strong language. Samuel L. Jackson plays Harold "H" Humphries, who is instructed to interrogate Steven (Michael Sheen), a U.S. national who has planted bombs at undisclosed locations. The movie is unrelentingly bleak, dealing with violence and traumatized, desensitized, and radicalized characters. While the central group of characters, including FBI agent Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss), work hard to achieve their aims, there is a lot of conflict and argument between the different branches of law enforcement and the military who are involved. Steven is a White American who has converted to Islam and answers to both his birth name and Muslim name of Yussuf. There is a lot of diversity in the film, including inter-faith and bi-racial marriages. Violence is frequent and bloody, featuring loss of life and a couple of graphic on-screen deaths. Torture features prominently, including several techniques that Helen argues are inhumane and illegal. Swearing -- including variants of "f--k" -- is frequent and arises from the tense situation that the characters find themselves in. In terms of drinking, drugs, and smoking, H takes some nondescript pills to help him stay alert and focus on his work.