September 5

Even more so though, the movie does also raise some ethical dilemmas that the real people went through in the news room that it also asks us, the audience, to consider. It features people wondering whether they can show a person getting shot live on TV, how far they’ll go to broadcast the situation in spite of the police and even the other networks. In the end, this whole situation became the first terrorist attack recorded on live TV. And that comes with some profound implications that the movie addresses at times amidst the chaos, but leaves to the audience to really ponder on.

Morally, this film is rated R. But as R ratings go, this is probably the most mild one I have ever seen, The Informant not withstanding. The only thing warranting the rating is the language which has about 10 f-words. Still, that’s not pervasive. And without that, the remaining content to beware of consists of around 10 other profanities, a few unfortunate religious exclamations included, the intense subject matter overall (even through there’s no on-screen violence), and that’s about it. Like all Spirit-filled Christians, I’d prefer the film not to have any cursing at all. But it is at the least understandable because of the situation at hand. I don’t recommend the film for kids, and parents might want to take a look into it before letting some of their younger teens watch it. But let’s be honest, the only real reason this is R is because of the “1 f***” rule PG-13 films have, which I find kinda bogus. Most kids 13 on up already here the f-word on a daily basis, so there’s not much of a point in shielding them from it. And if the point is to shield kids from it, why allow any f-words at all? Personally, I think if the MPA was a little more judicial on their language rules, this would’ve likely gotten a PG-13 (which contrary to what most parents might think, doesn’t mean kids movie with some reservations). The point is, if I were a parent, I would rather let my teens watch this over some modern-day PG-13 fare which pushes the boundaries of violence, sex, and nudity.

For audiences 14 and up, I highly recommend September 5. It’s an incredibly engaging drama that places you in the seat of the news crew during that fateful day in 1972. While they might not have been the ones in physical danger, they were responsible for informing 900 million people worldwide on the people who were. And their story offers just as much anxiety and ethical consideration as a movie based on this tragic event should cover.