Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines
Streaming Services 3 new to Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (March 7–March 8)
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Horror Movies Passenger horror movie trailer leaks online, and it looks like the scariest movie of 2026
Dune
Movies Movie release dates 2026: Every major film coming to cinemas and streaming
Dune 2
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
Cartman, Eric, Kenny, and Kyle in an episode of South Park
Animated Shows The 25 best South Park episodes of all time, mmkay
Billie Roy in Lee Cronin's The Mummy
Horror Movies Upcoming horror movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride earns mixed first reviews, as critics call it everything from "a modern classic" to "unholy mess"
Best anime movies: Chihiro and No-Face sitting in a train carriage during Spirited Away.
Anime Movies The 30 best anime movies to watch right now
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride's violence was "pulled back" after test screenings, but director Maggie Gyllenhaal stands by what was kept in
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

The 50 most controversial movies of all time

Features
By Simon Kinnear published 31 March 2014

Not for the easily offended

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Citizen Kane (1941)

The Movie: Newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst didn't take kindly to Orson Welles' fictionalised account of his life. He attempted to suppress the film, effectively killing off its box-office potential, but in an early version of The Streisand Effect, the more he shouted about it, the more people associated Kane with Hearst.

Most Controversial Moment: Kane falls in love with singer Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), a thinly veiled version of Heart's mistress, actress Marion Davies.

Zoolander (2001)

The Movie: Ben Stiller's fashion comedy remains banned in Malaysia thanks to its plot about male model Derek Zoolander (Stiller) being brainwashed to assassinate the country's president.

You may like
  • Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
  • Year in Review: The Best of 2025 main listing image for Best Movies of 2025 featuring images from Weapons, Superman, Sinners, and The Long Walk The 25 Best Movies of 2025
  • The 30 best sci-fi movies of all time: pictures of Alien, Arrival, Terminator, Brazil and 2001. The 30 best sci-fi movies of all time

Most Controversial Moment: The portrayal of Malaysia as a corrupt country whose trade with Western fashion houses relies on sweatshop-style child labour.

L'Age D'Or (1930)

The Movie: After rioters threw ink at the screen at the screen during the premiere of Luis Bunuel's anti-Catholic satire, the producers kept the film out of distribution for nearly 50 years. Its official US premiere took place in 1979.

Most Controversial Moment: The Duc de Blangis - who looks exactly like Jesus Christ - emerges from an orgy, seduces a passing woman, and lures her back into his castle.

The Terminator (1984)

The Movie: James Cameron's breakthrough movie shouldn't have been controversial at all… until sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison saw it and recognised the plot from his Outer Limits ' episode, Soldier . He won damages and an acknowledgement in the credits.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Most Controversial Moment: The arrival of soldiers from the future in the present day, the shared premise of Ellison's story and the film.

Basic Instinct (1992)

The Movie: Never mind the sex and violence. It was the implication that all lesbians are crazed killers that drew angry protests from gay rights activists.

Most Controversial Moment: Lesbian Roxy (Leilani Sarelle) tries to run down Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) because he slept with her lover, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone).

You may like
  • Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
  • Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
  • Year in Review: The Best of 2025 main listing image for Best Movies of 2025 featuring images from Weapons, Superman, Sinners, and The Long Walk The 25 Best Movies of 2025

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

The Movie: Sergei Eisenstein's classic was commissioned as Soviet propaganda - which of course made it dangerous stuff in Western nations, notably the UK, where it was banned until 1954.

Most Controversial Moment: The mistreated sailors of the Potemkin mutiny against their officers. You can kinda see why the authorities didn't like it.

The Wild One (1954)

The Movie: A new kind of youth - clad in leather, driving a motorbike, and taking shit from nowhere - arrives on screen in the form of Marlon Brando. The BBFC were scared enough to ban the film until 1968.

Most Controversial Moment: Johnny (Brando) is asked, "What are ya rebelling against?" He replies cockily: "Whaddaya got?"

Ichi The Killer (2001)

The Movie: The BBFC had been showing relative leniency to films, including Takashi Miike's Audition , when his ultra-violent follow-up arrived. Over three minutes of cuts were required to tone down sexual violence.

Most Controversial Moment: A tortured prostitute's nipples are sliced off.

Nosferatu (1922)

The Movie: The fact that he didn't own the rights didn't stop F.W. Murnau from adapting Dracula with only the character names changed. When Bram Stoker's widow sued, the courts ordered all prints destroyed… but one survived.

Most Controversial Moment: Thomas Hutter travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck). Any similarity to Stoker's story about Jonathan Harker meeting the mysterious Dracula is coincidental, honest guv.

Cocksucker Blues (1972)

The Movie: Robert Frank's documentary about The Rolling Stones remains unreleased - largely because the Stones don't want anybody to see its footage of they and their entourage trollied on drugs. By court order, it can only be screened if Frank is physically present.

Most Controversial Moment: From the Stones' point of view, probably the incriminating footage of Mick Jagger snorting cocaine backstage.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
Simon Kinnear
Read more
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Year in Review: The Best of 2025 main listing image for Best Movies of 2025 featuring images from Weapons, Superman, Sinners, and The Long Walk
The 25 Best Movies of 2025
 
 
The 30 best sci-fi movies of all time: pictures of Alien, Arrival, Terminator, Brazil and 2001.
The 30 best sci-fi movies of all time
 
 
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
 
 
Billie Roy in Lee Cronin's The Mummy
Upcoming horror movies coming in 2026 and beyond
 
 
Latest in Movies
Mortal Kombat movie
Mortal Kombat 2 star joins in with Street Fighter movie beef after Game Awards dig because he "loves a good rivalry"
 
 
Fujino and Kyomoto eating in Look Back
Live-action adaptation of Chainsaw Man creator's Look Back will escape Japanese cinemas and come to the west
 
 
Aang, Sokka and Katara standing on a stone wall during the series Avatar: The Last Airbender
Aang director confirms the next Avatar movie has wrapped, but seems to be still fighting for a theatrical release
 
 
Princess Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer
Certified Nintendo fangirl and Rosalina actor Brie Larson says Super Mario Galaxy is one of her favorite games
 
 
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
A Nintendo Nostradamus somehow predicted Donald Glover's Yoshi casting in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie over a year ago
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
 
 
Latest in Features
Photo of a Mario nendoroid figure holding a microSD Express card with a Turtle Beach Switch 2 case in the background.
These Mario Day-inspired Switch 2 accessories will power up your console more than a super star
 
 
Underside of Alienware 16 Area-51 gaming laptop with glass viewing window and RGB fans
We could get a shock when 2026 gaming laptop prices are unveiled, here's what you need to know about buying this year
 
 
Emily Rudd as Nami and Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy in Netflix's One Piece
One Piece season 2 ending explained: Who is Mr. Zero? Who dies? Will there be a season 3?
 
 
In Hitman World of Assassination, Agent 47 sits at the departure gate in an airport during the loading screen
After weeks spent locked into Hitman's Freelancer mode, I realize there's one vital thing 007 First Light needs to learn
 
 
Mario gadgets, accessories, and games on a blue background
The ultimate Mario Day starter pack, kit up for the plumber's big day
 
 
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Virtual Boy for Switch 2 sitting on coffee table with TV in backdrop displaying Wario Land gameplay.
    1
    I respect the Virtual Boy as a collectable Switch 2 gadget, but it’s not exactly a retro console remake
  2. 2
    Bizarre Lineage codes (March 2026) for free Stat Point Essence, Rare Chests, and more
  3. 3
    The Thrustmaster T248R is making me question where a sim racing wheel with no direct drive and no modular wheelbase fits in the market in 2026
  4. 4
    These Mario Day-inspired Switch 2 accessories will power up your console more than a super star
  5. 5
    Pokemon fan artist alleges new Palworld clone Pickmon "stole one of my designs," saying "they didn't even try to change something and make it a bit less obvious"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...