Our take
Badland Rising is an Australian action thriller rated R about a former soldier hunted by criminals after a botched robbery. Amazon lists it 16+ for violence, substance use, smoking, alcohol, and foul language. Dialogue includes dozens of f-words, brutal street fights, beer drinking, and a funeral subplot
Uplifting themes
Protecting family motivates the hero's fight to get home Dave uses training to survive, though his methods are violent
Story (may spoil tone)
An ordinary bloke embarks on a 19-hour drive home, unaware of being pursued by two unhinged criminals. Once he discovers their motive, his journey turns into a brutal fight for survival.
What we flagged
Scores are 0–5: 0 means none; 5 means the strongest we flagged in that category.
Details
Violence Brutal street fights, chases, and mob violence drive the survival story
Brutal street fights, chases, and mob violence drive the survival story
Language Frequent strong language including many f-words during confrontations
Frequent strong language including many f-words during confrontations
Sex / nudity A brief kiss reference appears; no nudity or sex scenes
A brief kiss reference appears; no nudity or sex scenes
Drugs / alcohol Beer drinking and substance use appear during the road-trip ordeal
Beer drinking and substance use appear during the road-trip ordeal
Frightening Relentless pursuit and life-or-death stakes create sustained tension
Relentless pursuit and life-or-death stakes create sustained tension
Self-harm / suicide No self-harm found in this title
No self-harm found in this title
Sexual violence No sexual violence found in this title
No sexual violence found in this title
Child peril / abuse No child peril found in this title
No child peril found in this title
Bullying / discrimination No bullying found in this title
No bullying found in this title
Gore / death / weapons Bloodied knuckles, injuries, and weapons feature in fight scenes
Bloodied knuckles, injuries, and weapons feature in fight scenes
Dangerous behaviour High-speed chases and hand-to-hand combat are played as survival tactics
High-speed chases and hand-to-hand combat are played as survival tactics
Eating disorders / body image No eating found in this title
No eating found in this title
Mental health A veteran struggles with violence he thought he had left behind
A veteran struggles with violence he thought he had left behind
Gambling No gambling found in this title
No gambling found in this title
Grief / bereavement A family funeral is mentioned amid the hero's drive home
A family funeral is mentioned amid the hero's drive home
Talk after watching
- How does the film show violence as survival rather than heroism?
- What choices would you make if strangers were chasing you on a long drive?