Most adults would agree that swearing is a part of life. Although we don’t try to use profanity, it inevitably slips out when we accidentally bang an elbow on a desk, spill coffee on the newspaper, or get through a truly terrible movie, like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. The occasional f-bomb at work typically doesn’t bother anyone, but when someone uses bad words like it’s second nature, it’s a little easier to get offended.
In movies, profanity is used to emphasize characters and exaggerate plot points, usually to get the effect. The Wolf of Wall Street, for instance, plays up the swearing as a comedic device. Some movies are particularly good at filling up the swear jar with quarters. Here are the films with actors that deserve to have their mouths washed out with soap for all the profanities they used.
10 Casino
Casino came out in 1995 and is still considered one of the best Robert De Niro movies. Directed by lengarday filmmaker Martin Scorsese, the movie follows Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Niro), an excellent gambler and mobster who is tasked with running the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas for the mafia. While everything is going well at first, Ace soon realizes that he can no longer trust some of his closest associates, including his ex-wife, his head bouncer, and even his mob bosses.
Over three hours, De Niro and his fellow actors drop an astounding 422 f-bombs. There are countless other objectionable words in the film, not to mention blatant nudity, excessive violence, and tons of blood. It’s safe to say that Casino was not made for the faint of heart.
9 The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese’s epic drama/comedy The Wolf of Wall Street is over-the-top in almost every way imaginable. The film takes place in 1987 and follows stockbroker Jordan Belfort as he moves from small-time hustler to full-time crook. Along the way, Belfort indulges in drugs, women, and profanity. Maybe too much of it, some would argue.
There are a lot of things you might not know about The Wolf of Wall Street. Among them is that the movie sets a record for most F-bombs in a single film, with 569 of them coming out of the actor’s mouths. Leonardo is brilliant at portraying Belfort and gives the character a self-indulgent, egotistical sensibility that’s mesmerizing to follow. Despite its dirty words (or perhaps because of them), The Wolf of Wall Street is deliciously fun to watch.
8 Uncut Gems
Uncut Gems stars Adams Sandler as Howard Ratner, a jewel dealer who owes $100,000 in gambling debts. Ratner takes a huge risk and bets money on NBA star Kevin Garnett, hoping that the basketball player will play well because he’s holding on to an opal for good luck that Ratner recently brought into his store. When the bet doesn’t pay out, Ratner is left holding the bag without the opal or the money that he’s owed.
Directed by the Safdie brothers, Uncut Gems is supposedly the third most profane film in movie history. The film contains over 560 expletives, including f-bombs and other foul words. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2019 and made its way to Netflix shortly after in 2020. Fans everywhere are now able to witness Sandler’s potty mouth like never before.
7 South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
It’s not often that an animated feature makes a list of the most profane movies of all time. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut does just that. Based on the TV show of the same name that premiered in 1997, the South Park movie sees the gang sneaking into a movie about their favorite Canadian foul-mouthed stars, Terrence and Phillip. Legions of offended Americans try to block the movie, so it’s up to Cartman and his friends to use their newfound language skills to try to stop a war stemming from the controversy.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut hold the record for the most swear words in an animated feature film. The movie has an incredible 399 swear words, more than any other cartoon characters have ever spoken on the big screen. 144 of those words are f-bombs, helping give the film a well-deserved R-rating.
6 Narc
Jason Patric stars as an undercover police officer named Nick Tellis in Paramount Pictures’ 2002 crime thriller Narc. When Tellis is drawn back into the force to investigate the murder of a young officer killed in the line of duty, he’s paired with tough guy Henry Oak (played by the late Ray Liotta). Oak’s methods are old-school, and he’s hell-bent on revenge as the officer that was killed was his partner.
Narc contains enough swear words to make any moviegoer perk up and listen. The film packs 242 f-words into a tight 105-minute runtime. For all of its blatant cursing, Narc scored generally positive reviews and currently holds an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also considered one of Ray Liotta’s best movies.
5 Scarface
The 1993 Brian De Palma film Scarface is considered a crime classic. Not only does it contain one of the best movie death scenes, but it also made Al Pacino a household name. Pacino stars as Tony Montana, a drug lord who quickly takes over the illegal narcotics scene in Miami. With power comes new challenges, as Tony is caught up in both a cartel drug war and an attempt by the FBI to take down his syndicate.
Viewers are familiar with Pacino’s epic line “Say hello to my little friend!” as he blasts a room full of enemies with a machine gun. That’s not the only dialogue Scarface is known for. The movie contains 226 f-bombs along with a ton of gratuitous violence. Tony Montana is one of the most memorable characters in film history and his dirty words contribute to his legendary status.
4 End of Watch
End of Watch is a 2012 action movie directed by David Ayer. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Brian Taylor, a Los Angeles police officer who patrols the streets of the dangerous South Central neighborhood. Taylor and his partner are constantly dealing with gang members and their illegal moves. It’s one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s most emotional movies.
Ayer isn’t one to shy away from directing gritty movies. His repertoire includes films like Street Kings, Suicide Squad, and Fury. Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, isn’t particularly known for playing characters with a foul mouth. End of Watch packs in 326 f-words into its 109-minute runtime. Roger Ebert loved the movie, giving it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars.
3 Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam is about the 1977 murders in The Bronx committed by David Berkowitz, otherwise known as the Son of Sam killer. The events in the movie are viewed through the eyes of two young guys, Vinny (John Leguizamo) and his buddy Ritchie (Adrien Brody). Vinny is a suave dude but his marriage is falling apart, while Ritchie is an outcast who embraces punk music and ethos.
As more murders happen in their neighborhood, the duo starts to feel more and more on edge. When Ritchie is falsely accused of being the Son of Sam killer, he’s attacked by a local gang. Vinny is unable to help him, which strains their friendship. Summer of Sam is one of the most obscene movies of the 1990s, with almost 400 objectionable words and swears being spoken by the cast.
2 Swearnet: The Movie
Swearnet: The Movie is a film that was pretty much made just to break the Guinness Book of World record for the most swear words in a movie. It’s a dark comedy starring the guys from the popular Trailer Park Boys TV show. The show aired for 12 seasons, so it’s natural that it would inspire a movie with the same characters as well.
Swearnet: The Movie is aCanadian production that follows the gang as they start up a new internet channel. Fed up with being censored on traditional TV, the Trailer Park Boys decide to run their network so that they can swear as much as they want. The movie contains an impressive 935 f-bombs but only holds a depressing 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
1 The Outpost
One of the most recent movies in memory to crush the profanity barrier is 2020’s The Outpost. The movie is based on the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh in which U.S. soldiers stationed at a remote outpost in Afghanistan were ambushed by over 400 Taliban troops. In the film, Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, and others play the brave soldiers fighting for their lives during the attack.
The Outpost is an emotionally-charged movie, so it’s not surprising that it contains upwards of 350 f-bombs and about 400 objectionable words. There’s also strong violence and some light nudity. The film earned positive reviews for its honest and raw depictions of war.
