“Deadpool & Wolverine” recently beat out “Joker” as the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever made . The Disney/Marvel collaboration made over $1 billion in domestic and international ticket sales. However, we aren’t here today to talk about wildly successful blockbuster hits. Today we are interested in some of the best R-rated movies ever made that flew under the radar. The next time you’re scrolling for a new show to watch, you may want to check out one of these well-made, yet not as well-known, R-rated movies.
To determine the best R-rated movies you’ve never seen, 24/7 Tempo developed an index of movies using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of March 2024, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only R-rated movies with between 10,000 and 50,000 votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Documentaries were not considered. Directorial credits are from IMDb. ( Discover additional best R-rated movies by reading “13 of the Best Cult Classics of the ’70s.” )
49. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) Courtesy of Turtle Releasing IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (47,165 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (24,708 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (44 reviews) Directed by: John Carpenter 48. Body Heat (1981) Courtesy of Warner Bros.
IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (33,308 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (10,489 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (42 reviews) Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan 47. All That Jazz (1979) Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (29,819 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,783 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (44 reviews) Directed by: Bob Fosse
46. Sin Nombre (2009) Courtesy of Focus Features IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (33,615 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (21,325 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (120 reviews) Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga 45. Lenny (1974) Courtesy of United Artists
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (16,470 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (6,556 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (26 reviews) Directed by: Bob Fosse 44. Mystery Train (1989) Courtesy of Orion Classics IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (27,056 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (10,591 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (35 reviews) Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
43. Vera Drake (2004) Courtesy of Fine Line Features IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (26,307 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (11,647 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (162 reviews) Directed by: Mike Leigh 42. The Tenant (1976) Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (42,042 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (11,360 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (32 reviews) Directed by: Roman Polanski 41. The Joy Luck Club (1993) Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (15,952 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (27,720 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (84 reviews) Directed by: Wayne Wang 40. Big Night (1996) Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (18,990 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (8,199 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (56 reviews) Directed by: Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci 39. Nashville (1975) Courtesy of Paramount Pictures IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (25,206 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (10,108 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (70 reviews) Directed by: Robert Altman 37. Diva (1982) Courtesy of United Artists Classics IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (13,938 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (6,447 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (56 reviews) Directed by: Jean-Jacques Beineix 36. Seconds (1966) Courtesy of Paramount Pictures IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (18,912 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (4,496 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (35 reviews) Directed by: John Frankenheimer 35. The Verdict (1982) Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (38,047 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (10,404 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (34 reviews) Directed by: Sidney Lumet 34. Bullets Over Broadway (1994) Courtesy of Miramax IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (37,974 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (17,034 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (58 reviews) Directed by: Woody Allen 33. American Splendor (2003) Courtesy of HBO Films IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (48,914 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (44,582 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (187 reviews) Directed by: Robert Pulcini 31. Ordinary People (1980) Courtesy of Paramount Pictures IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,514 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (23,252 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews) Directed by: Robert Redford 30. Richard III (1995) Courtesy of United Artists IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (14,342 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (7,022 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews) Directed by: Richard Loncraine 29. Husbands and Wives (1992) Courtesy of TriStar Pictures IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,553 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (14,177 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews) Directed by: Woody Allen 28. The Commitments (1991) Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (34,153 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (28,407 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (45 reviews) Directed by: Alan Parker 27. Fresh (1994) Courtesy of Miramax IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (12,788 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (8,058 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (40 reviews) Directed by: Boaz Yakin 26. Smoke (1995) Courtesy of Miramax IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (35,265 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (10,576 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (29 reviews) Directed by: Wayne Wang 25. Monsoon Wedding (2001) Courtesy of Focus Features IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (25,333 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (27,606 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (126 reviews) Directed by: Mira Nair 22. The Castle (1999) Courtesy of Miramax IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (16,962 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (14,641 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (39 reviews) Directed by: Rob Sitch 21. Waiting for Guffman (1996) Courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,141 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (41,610 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (55 reviews) Directed by: Christopher Guest 20. The Long Goodbye (1973) Courtesy of United Artists IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (28,665 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (10,334 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (47 reviews) Directed by: Robert Altman 19. Drugstore Cowboy (1989) Courtesy of Avenue Pictures Productions IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (37,868 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (22,934 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (28 reviews) Directed by: Gus Van Sant 18. The Magdalene Sisters (2003) Courtesy of Miramax IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (27,940 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (13,370 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (150 reviews) Directed by: Peter Mullan 17. Maria Full of Grace (2004) Randall Michelson Archive / Contributor / Getty Images IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (34,635 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (39,744 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (146 reviews) Directed by: Joshua Marston 16. You Can Count on Me (2000) Courtesy of Paramount Classics IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (29,204 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (10,674 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (105 reviews) Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan 15. Down by Law (1986) Courtesy of Island Pictures IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,905 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (22,383 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (31 reviews) Directed by: Jim Jarmusch 14. Belle de Jour (1968) Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (46,995 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (4,210 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (59 reviews) Directed by: Luis Buñuel 13. Stranger Than Paradise (1984) Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (36,300 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (15,648 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews) Directed by: Jim Jarmusch 12. The Sweet Hereafter (1997) Courtesy of Fine Line Features IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (36,111 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,680 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews) Directed by: Atom Egoyan 11. The Wedding Banquet (1993) Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (14,831 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (1,685 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (28 reviews) Directed by: Ang Lee 10. Short Cuts (1993) Courtesy of Fine Line Features IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (43,712 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (22,738 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (58 reviews) Directed by: Robert Altman 9. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) Courtesy of Warner Bros. IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (10,517 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (3,235 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (28 reviews) Directed by: Paul Schrader 8. Europa Europa (1991) Courtesy of Orion Classics IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (17,028 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (6,942 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (21 reviews) Directed by: Agnieszka Holland 7. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Courtesy of Fine Line Features IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (34,486 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (49,745 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (117 reviews) Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell 5. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) Courtesy of Faces International IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (23,726 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (8,243 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (31 reviews) Directed by: John Cassavetes 4. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) Courtesy of United Artists IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (28,840 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (9,478 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (42 reviews) Directed by: Joseph Sargent 3. Once Were Warriors (1995) Courtesy of Fine Line Features IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (35,833 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (29,728 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (46 reviews) Directed by: Lee Tamahori 2. Secrets & Lies (1996) Courtesy of October Films IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (45,526 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (11,346 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (45 reviews) Directed by: Mike Leigh 1. The Last Picture Show (1971) Courtesy of Columbia Pictures IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (45,056 votes) Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (14,197 votes) Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (58 reviews) Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich The post Underrated and R-Rated: Must-See Films You Haven’t Watched Yet appeared first on 24/7 Tempo .