15 Best NC-17 Rated Movies Of All Time, Ranked

As far as the ratings system goes, the dreaded NC-17 is treated like the proverbial red-headed stepchild by Hollywood. Ordinarily doled out for explicit sexual content (violence, funnily enough, is much more easily permitted in R-Rated films), most studios will do pretty much anything in their power to avoid an NC-17 rating. No matter how high its quality is, it's nearly impossible to make a profit on a film that the majority of mainstream theater chains won't even show. You'll often hear stories about filmmakers cutting out seconds of footage here and there and resubmitting to the ratings board, hoping to get a much more palatable R. 

But despite the fact that they're often controversial, there are several NC-17 films that overcome the stigma levied against their subject matter to find success in their own right. The films on this list prove that although an NC-17 rating may still be a barrier to mainstream financial success, it doesn't mean they can't be entertaining and thought-provoking as well as titillating and disturbing.

• Cast: Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderon
• Director: Abel Ferrera
• Year: 1992
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi

Often, movies are given an NC-17 rating due to their sexual content. And while there's certainly plenty of sex in "Bad Lieutenant," this one was actually given such a harsh rating because of its violence and extensive drug use. Starring Harvey Keitel, "Bad Lieutenant" revolves around a ... well, bad lieutenant. A corrupt member of the police force in New York City, The Lieutenant (we never learn his actual name) engages in morally bankrupt behavior that ranges in severity from stealing drugs out of evidence for his personal use to sexual assault. 

Directed by Abel Ferrera, in many ways "Bad Lieutenant" feels like a throwback to the cynicism of 1970s New Hollywood cinema, and the film's efforts to grapple with faith and redemption make it an emotionally complex experience, if viewers are willing to give it a chance. Martin Scorsese himself named it one of the best films of the 1990s.

• Cast: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros
• Director: Philip Kaufman
• Year: 1990
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 136 minutes

"Henry & June" earns a special place of honor on our list, since it's the first movie to ever receive the official NC-17 designation. Censors switched from the X rating (which some of the other movies here earned) in 1990, since it was not trademarked by the MPA and had become basically a byword for pornography. An erotic drama based on the novel by Anaïs Nin, "Henry & June" tells the largely biographical story of a writer (Maria de Medeiros) who is drawn in by the unconventional relationship between Henry Miller (Fred Ward) and his young bisexual wife June (Uma Thurman). 

Their torrid love triangle played a large role in earning the film a NC-17 rating, but the eroticism didn't prevent Oscar voters from turning out for it. It was nominated for best cinematography, making it one of the few NC-17 movies to earn any love from the Academy Awards.

• Cast: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon
• Director: Paul Verhoeven
• Year: 1995
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 131 minutes
• Where to Watch: Tubi, FuboTV

"Showgirls" has long been derided as an absolute disaster of a film, bombing at the box office and receiving savage reviews from critics. Indeed, for most of the past few decades, it's been considered little more than a punchline. But in recent years, "Showgirls" has been given a critical reevaluation, and we find to our surprise that there's actually quite a bit of merit hidden underneath the surface.

It stars Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie from "Saved By the Bell," a role it seems she was trying to get away from) as Nomi, a young woman who dreams of becoming a Vegas showgirl. But her journey on this path is filled with complications, as she is constantly exploited and humiliated by those around her. When "Showgirls" was originally planned, there were high hopes for it — certainly, MGM/United Artists were confident enough that its salacious nature would get people in the door, and made it the rare NC-17 film that received a wide theatrical release. Alas, that was not the case, and the rest is history.

• Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux
• Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
• Year: 2013
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 180 minutes
• Where to Watch: Netflix, Hulu, Tubi

This sapphic romance is one of the most endearing films to make the list, weaving a coming-of-age yarn that happens to involve a fair amount of sexual exploration. "Blue is the Warmest Colour" stars Adèle Exarchopoulos as Adèle, a reserved teenager who becomes infatuated with a 20-something woman with vibrant blue hair — Emma, played by Léa Seydoux. Their relationship is fated to be short-lived but incredibly impactful for both of the young women, especially Adèle, for whom it serves as an eye-opening introduction to her sexuality. Surrounded by a conservative family and friends who don't quite understand her, Adèle's experiences with Emma are nothing short of formative. 

The film launched the careers of both Seydoux and Exarchopoulos, both of whom have gone on to act in other challenging, deeply interesting productions. Still, there remains some controversy surrounding "Blue is the Warmest Colour," largely related to director Abdellatif Kechiche's allegedly abusive practices on set, but also due to its depiction of a lesbian romance, which some regard as too heavily geared toward the male gaze.

• Cast: Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lara Flynn Boyle
• Director: Todd Solondz
• Year: 1998
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 136 minutes

Director Todd Solondz could never be accused of giving audiences an easy watch, but even so, "Happiness" is in a league of its own. "Happiness" follows a handful of loosely connected narratives, each in some way involving a trio of sisters. 

One is married to a pedophile who has been sexually assaulting his preteen son's friends. One is a successful writer who ends upon the receiving end of sexually violent phone calls from her neighbor Allen (Philip Seymour Hoffman). And one has a string of traumatic relationships beginning with her long-term boyfriend dying by suicide after she breaks up with him and ending with one of her ESL students, a Russian immigrant who has an extramarital affair with her. Despite its frequently disturbing subject matter, "Happiness" is oddly compelling, creating sympathetic characters seemingly out of thin air. Like a trainwreck, you just can't look away.

• Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple
• Director: William Friedkin
• Year: 2011
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

These days, NC-17 films with high-profile actors are few and far between. Most actors just don't want to take the risk of starring in a film that's essentially guaranteed not to make much money at the box office. But in the midst of what was termed "the McConaissance," Matthew McConaughey took on the leading role in the mystery thriller "Killer Joe" alongside Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple. Killer Joe is a police officer who has a side hustle as a hit man and is hired to murder a woman so that her scheming family can collect on her life insurance.

Although there were hopes that the completed film could squeeze by with an R rating, when it landed an NC-17, director William Friedkin was defiantly opposed to making any cuts to appease the ratings board. "To get an R rating, I would have had to destroy it in order to save it and I wasn't interested in doing that," he explained in an interview with Rope of Silicon.

• Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale
• Director: Steve McQueen
• Year: 2011
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Where to Watch: HBO Max

"Shame" is usually remembered for being the one where Michael Fassbender does full-frontal nudity, but it's much more than that. Directed by Steve McQueen, it stars Fassbender as Brandon, a man with a debilitating sex addiction that threatens to overwhelm his entire life, especially when it comes to his relationship with his sister (Carey Mulligan). Shame is undeniably the principle emotion in the film, as Brandon goes down ever more self-destructive paths. Fassbender received praise for his intense commitment to the role, creating a brutally honest depiction of a man whose predilections prevent him from attaining any real intimacy.

Unlike some NC-17 films that fought hard to get an R rating without having to sacrifice too much of their vision, the production team of "Shame" seemed spectacularly uninterested in appealing the rating decision. "I think NC-17 is a badge of honor, not a scarlet letter," said president of Fox Searchlight Steve Gilula in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

• Cast: Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Gemma Jones
• Director: Ken Russell
• Year: 1971
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 111 minutes

Based on the real-life downfall of the Roman Catholic priest Urbain Grandier (and his alleged corruption of an entire convent of nuns by way of sorcery), "The Devils" hits on several hot button issues that essentially guaranteed it an X rating. Between all the nun bacchanals and certain unmentionable activities involving a crucifix, it would honestly be shocking if it somehow managed to avoid censorship. 

But in addition to the film's sexual content, there's a throughline of commentary that condemns the abuse and hypocrisy of the elite, represented here by the Church and the monarchy — which in many ways was just as objectionable to the Vatican, who attempted to have it removed from the Venice Film Festival. The stars of "The Devils," Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, are fully committed and unrepentant in their performances, bringing to life both depravity and sexual repression.

• Cast: James Spader, Holly Hunter, Rosanna Arquette
• Director: David Cronenberg
• Year: 1996
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 100 minutes

Not to be confused with the 2004 crime drama of the same name that somehow managed to win best picture at the Academy Awards, the 1996 film "Crash" is an altogether more bizarre animal. Directed by David Cronenberg, it stars James Spader as a film producer who finds both his sexual relationship with his wife Catherine (Deborah Kara Unger) and their various affairs puzzingly unfulfilling. But after experiencing the trauma of surviving a serious car crash, he discovers that the memory of this incident — and the recreation of other similar accidents — provides him with an intense sexual satisfaction. In simple terms: He and the other members of his newfound group are turned on by car crashes. Needless to say, its explicit sex scenes landed "Crash" a quick NC-17 rating.

To say that "Crash" was divisive is putting it mildly. There were reports that Francis Ford Coppola was so offended by the film that he refused to hand Cronenberg the award it received at the Cannes Film Festival, the Special Jury Prize. But despite its more controversial and graphic elements, "Crash" developed a cult following and eventually became one of Cronenberg's most acclaimed films.

• Cast: Louis Garrel, Michael Pitt, Eva Green
• Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
• Year: 2003
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 115 minutes

With a trio of young stars in the making, "The Dreamers" is a dynamic exploration of uninhibited sexuality. Set in the late 1960s — a time period known for free love — an American exchange student named Matthew (Michael Pitt) finds himself captivated by a pair of siblings, Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). And the deeper he is pulled into their orbit, the stranger — and more sexually explicit — things become.

"The Dreamers" was given a limited release in the United States under the NC-17 rating, where it received a mixed response. Although some felt that it wasn't as provocative or shocking as it intended to be, it also found some champions, including Roger Ebert, who gave the film four out of four stars. (Undoubtedly he felt the pull of nostalgia: During the time period that "The Dreamers" was set, he was in the process of writing a film, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," which received an X rating itself.)

• Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles
• Director: John Schlesinger
• Year: 1969
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 113 minutes
• Where to Watch: The Roku Channel, Tubi

If for no other reason, audiences are probably familiar with "Midnight Cowboy" for its most famous scene — as Ratso (Dustin Hoffman) and Joe Buck (Jon Voight) are making their way through a busy New York City crosswalk, a taxi nearly slams into Ratso, leading him to bang on its hood and yell, "I'm walking here!" 

Released in 1969 and revolving around a pair of hustlers trying to make their way in the big city, "Midnight Cowboy" is arguably one of the most successful NC-17 (then X) rated films of all time. It earned a great deal of critical praise for its two lead performances, and was nominated for seven Academy Awards — something that was unheard for an X-rated film, and would be incredibly unusual even today. It ultimately took home three Oscars for best picture, best director, and best screenplay.

• Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez
• Director: Pedro Almodovar
• Year: 2004
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Where to Watch: Youtube (rent/boy), Google Play (rent/buy)

Pedro Almodovar has never been a director particularly known for holding back when it comes to sex and its role in the exploration of the human experience, so its unsurprising that one of his most acclaimed films, "Bad Education," was saddled with an NC-17 rating. But although it received this rating for "a scene of explicit sexual content," that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what makes this film geared toward adult audiences. 

Starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Fele Martinez as a pair of childhood friends — and first loves — who are seemingly reunited in adulthood, "Bad Education" is a deep and frequently disturbing dive into child sexual abuse (here by Catholic priests) and its long-term effects. It received tremendous praise for its lead performances and its sensitive handling of difficult subject matter, adding another feather in Almodovar's filmmaking cap. "Bad Education" performed particularly well at the Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards), where it received four nominations, including best picture and best director.

• Cast: Tang Wei, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Joan Chen
• Director: Ang Lee
• Year: 2007
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 157 minutes
• Where to Watch: Youtube (rent/buy), Google Play (rent/buy)

Stand aside, James Bond — you've got nothing on the characters in "Lust, Caution." Set during World War II, it stars Tang Wei as an introverted college student who ends up working as a secret agent, attempting to seduce puppet government official Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu-wai). Their relationship becomes complicated, however, as she begins to develop feelings for him, all while collaborating in plans for his assassination.

"Lust, Caution" received positive reviews for its dreamy eroticism, but it also nearly destroyed the career of Tang Wei. Horrified by her performance in such a sexually explicit film and the fact that her sexual relationship is with a collaborator of all people, the Chinese government blacklisted her for three years — something both director Ang Lee and co-star Leung spoke out against. But despite this controversy, the impact of "Lust, Caution" was undeniable, and it earned $67 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing NC-17 film of all time.

• Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker
• Director: Sam Raimi
• Year: 1981
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 85 minutes
• Where to Watch: Amazon (rent/buy), Apple TV (rent/buy)

When it comes to horror films, few directors have made their feature debut with as much panache as Sam Raimi with "The Evil Dead" — he let us know who he was right from the very beginning. In this dark horror tinged with comedic elements, a group of college students travel to a cabin in the woods where they discover a mysterious book — the Naturom Demonto — which, predictably, does not end well. One by one, the members of the group are attacked and transformed by a malevolent demonic entity, the effects of which are presented in gruesome detail. 

Nothing is off limits for Raimi and his team, although its wicked sense of humor prevents even the darkest scenes from being truly unbearable. A modest horror release at the time, "The Evil Dead" developed a rabid cult following, and a handful of sequels and reboots came in its wake. Despite the X (and later NC-17) rating that by all conventional wisdom should have created a barrier to its success, "The Evil Dead" is now one of the most beloved franchises in horror — although whether or not that's a good thing is still debated among die-hard fans.

• Cast: Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Alan Howard
• Director: Peter Greenaway
• Year: 1989
• Rating: NC-17
• Runtime: 124 minutes

"The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover" is NC-17 at its most artistic, with vibrant cinematography to go along with its doomed romance. Helen Mirren stars as Georgina, the wife of a brutish mobster (Michael Gambon). She's thoroughly dissatisfied with her life, especially her marriage, but things change when she meets Michael (Alan Howard), a quiet intellectual whose mannered ways are a sharp yet welcome contrast to her husband. Their relationship has an end date before it's even started. But with its shocking conclusion comes one of the boldest decisions we've ever seen on film.

Although it was released in theaters as unrated (it wanted to avoid an X rating, which was then seen as synonymous with pornography), the Blu-ray release has an NC-17 rating. There was also an R-Rated cut on VHS in the 1990s, which pares down the original runtime from 124 minutes to an astonishingly brief 98 minutes. Whether unrated or NC-17, "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover" is an arthouse classic.