The Bounty Hunter

Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler) is an ex-cop, now bounty hunter, who is on the top of his game when it comes to finding bail “jumpers” and collecting his commission for bringing them in. His job is his life… well that and the occasional drinking and gambling binges. After a run in with his former partners on the force, he gets his dream assignment when he’s asked to bring in his ex-wife Nicole.

Nicole Hurley (Jennifer Aniston) is a top investigative reporter for The New York Daily News who is trying to find an informant of hers who has suddenly disappeared. Putting work before a court date, a warrant is issued for her arrest, and she finds herself right back in the crosshairs of her spiteful ex, Milo.

For Milo, finding and catching Nicole is no trouble. Trying to keep her is another matter entirely. Besides the comically verbal and physical jabs they take at each other, they also find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place: the gambling bookies eager to make an example out of Milo, and the killer aiming to silence Nicole before she discovers the truth.

Objectionable Content

Language: The profanities are as strong as they come for a movie rated PG-13. S*** is used over two dozen times, A** 14x, A**h*** 6x, plus a few derogatory forms of both female and male anatomy, one even said by Nicole’s mom, that are best not described in detail here. Sex is both described and insinuated in several scenes and in a very denigrating worldly way. “God” is used as an expletive a dozen times, with another 8 Godd****s, with the name of Jesus Christ thrown in once for good measure.

It bears repeating what other reviewers have pointed out, that language that was once only in “R” rated films has found a home in today’s PG-13 films. One doesn’t need much of an imagination to foretell what the future may hold.

Sex/Nudity: Visually, the heaviest content comes late in the film during a prolonged scene in a strip club as strippers wearing pasties and thongs are seen performing. At one point, a handcuffed Nicole crawls over a sleeping Milo to try and get his gun when he asks her if she is trying to seduce him. In dialogue full of innuendos and double entendres, Milo and Nicole lead each other on, but nothing develops further. An Atlantic City rickshaw driver offers Nicole a free ride if she’ll show him her breasts. While she thankfully doesn’t follow through, it is easy to see from this scene how laced with guttural sexual overtones the whole film is.

Violence: As a bounty hunter, Milo is expected to play the heavy and readily butts heads with the biggest goons and is not above tackling his ex-wife or stuffing her in the trunk of his car for safe keeping. Later, she nearly electrocutes him using a taser.

A coworker of Nicole’s is stalking her, and, when he gets mistaken for Milo by the bookies, he ends up getting his leg broken. Later, while staggering away, his leg gives way, and he cries in pain—just one of many instances where pain is played for laughs. Milo and others trade gunshots with the killer, and blood is seen.

Lessons

Gambling is not glorified and is clearly a source of much of Milo’s woes. Even though Milo wins big every now and then, like all streaks, it soon comes to an end. The Word of God warns and advises us that:

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow” (Proverbs 13:11).

You might be surprised that the best message of the movie was about marriage. Needing a hideout for the night, they stop at the same honeymoon place, Cupids Cabins, they stayed in when they first got married. Not knowing they are divorced, the owners ask how they managed to “keep the flame going.” Milo and Nicole start describing each other’s faults and the different ways they get back at each other. The owners marvel at how “true love covers all the blemishes.” They are so close to the biblical truth that says:

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

In fact, it is during their time there that they begin to admit to each other their own contributions in letting their marriage fail. They describe how each of them could have done more, and, in their own way, echo faintly God’s own prescription for marriage that even today saves so many from the heartache of divorce:

“Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:24-25).

In my opinion, the most constant shortcoming of most movies rated PG-13 and up is how casually God’s name is used, and not usually in praise. God’s chosen people, the Israelites, held God’s name in such high regard that they did not even pronounce it out loud. And if we choose to ignore their tradition of respect, how can we deny what the Ten Commandments directs us regarding this very matter:

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7).

Final Thoughts

The story fluctuated between the “very predictable” to the “near unbelievable.” Director Andy Tennant (“Hitch,” “Ever After,” “Sweet Home Alabama”) seems a little out of his element combining action with a romantic comedy. The star power and appeal of Anniston and Butler barely manage to lift “The Bounty Hunter” above what would otherwise be just a “made for TV” movie.

The profanity and sexual content, frankly, merit an “R” rating, and, as such, it cannot be recommended for anyone under 17. Christians, and those who wish to guard their hearts and minds would be better off either waiting for a heavily edited TV version or just passing on it altogether.

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.