Broken Arrow poster

Broken Arrow (1996)

Film · 1h 48m · Rated R

Action, Sports, Thriller

A rogue pilot steals nuclear warheads, leading to a relentless, high-octane chase through the desert.

Suspenseful and pulpy. A full-attention watch at full speed. Emotionally it carries some weight.

Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 29, 2026.

Broken Arrow parents guide

Of what we could confirm, nothing runs past an R: brutal violence and some strong language.

Scare
Mildly scary
A few tense or eerie moments.
Jump scares
A couple
One or two sudden jolts.
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Brutal violence
Our top level for violence.
Sex and nudity
None flagged
It is rated R, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.
Language
Moderate
Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Broken Arrow scary?
Only a little. Broken Arrow has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.
How gory is Broken Arrow?
Light gore and brutal violence.
What is Broken Arrow rated, and is it OK for kids?
Brutal violence and some strong language. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is Broken Arrow about?

When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale, is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Yes. It lands on a happy note.

Cast and crew

Directed byJohn Woo
StarringJohn Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo, Frank Whaley, Bob Gunton

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.