Hypnotic

NZ release: 11 May 2023

Violence and content that may disturb Rated on: 26 April 2023

Hypnotic

What’s it about?

Rourke is struggling to come to terms with his daughter being kidnapped and never found. When he uncovers a government conspiracy to train people with mind control powers, he realises they might have something to do with his daughter’s disappearance.

The facts

  • Directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City)
  • Runtime: 93 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

Content that may disturb

The film has scenes of threat and high tension. People are stalked by others in the dark.

The mind-control elements of the plot could be unsettling for some. There are sequences where reality shifts so that the audience becomes unsure of what is real and what is mind control. The villains use mind control to make people hurt themselves and others.

Violence

There is choreographed hand-to-hand violence, gun violence, and scenes where vehicles are used as weapons to hit people. People under mind control shoot themselves and others. While most of the violence is implied rather than shown, there are visible gunshot wounds, blood on clothing, and occasional blood splatter.

A man under mind control slams his head down on a spike in the rubble of a broken window. His body twitches as he dies. Another man under mind control cuts his wrist on handcuffs as he attempts to free himself.

Coarse language

Characters use the words “bulls**t”, “s**t”, “bastard” and, occasionally, “bitch” to express distress or disbelief.

Further information

Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?

Recent featured decisions

11 November 2026

Offensive language, sexual references, and nudity

Thirty-four days before she's sent to prison, notorious Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait becomes a mind-bending three-year journey.

Read more

10 November 2026

Drug use, sexual references, and offensive language

A three-part documentary following the "biohacking" looksmaxxer and manosphere influencer known as Tony Huge. A portrait of masculinity in the influencer age, where extreme biohacking, online performance, and a series of suspicious deaths converge.

Read more