8. The Dark Knight
One of the most surprising things about The Dark Knight is just how far it pushes the button tonally, in terms of both the "sustained terror" and the visceral quality of the violence. Of course, upon release, accusations naturally flew that the MPAA had likely been paid off by Warner Bros. to give the film a PG-13 pass, given how much of the film's box office gross was dependent on that rating. Still, watching the film, The Joker's reign of violence is extremely dark, to the point that it would unquestionably prove distressing for many youngsters, even acknowledging that the PG-13 rating leaves a certain amount of power up to parents. Furthermore, the PG-13 rating restricts a lot of the film's violence, resulting in Nolan having to awkwardly imply The Joker's savage acts; take the scene when The Joker kills a man with a knife, and because the method of murder can't be shown, Nolan instead cuts to another gangster's anguished face, which drains the scene of its brutality and looks horribly messy. This isn't to say the film needed swearing or overt violence, but an R-rating would have suited the tone of the film far better.