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The Slaughter Rule

Play trailer Poster for The Slaughter Rule R 2003 1h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Roy (Ryan Gosling) gets cut from his high school football team just days after his estranged father dies. For him, football is more than a proving ground. It is a promised escape from his lonely rural existence. Enter Gideon (David Morse), a loner living on the roughneck fringe who is looking for gamers - kids who scrap hard - to play on his six-man football squad. Roy joins the Renegades, and he and Gideon enter into tenuous friendship that pushes the limits of male bonding.
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The Slaughter Rule

The Slaughter Rule

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Critics Consensus

A bleak but original indie, The Slaughter Rule benefits from outstanding performances by Ryan Gosling and David Morse.

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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek Mar 7, 2018
The movie has a bred-in-the-bone sense of place, and a willingness to take big emotional risks. Go to Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Feb 16, 2011
The writing and directing team of twin brothers Alex and Andrew Smith have made an astonishingly good first feature. Go to Full Review Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture Feb 16, 2011
Having made his name as a ferocious, self-hating Jewish skinhead in The Believer, 22-year-old Ryan Gosling gives another memorable performance as a lonely, world-hating fatherless quarterback in The Slaughter Rule. Go to Full Review Total Film Feb 16, 2011
[Gosling] once again shows how magnetic he can be in challenging roles. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Carol S @RT48856984 Jul 27, 2026 A very bleak movie, with ill defined characters and confusing scenes, has a bit of a creep factor, an ambiguous story line, and no happy ending. Ryan Gosling and David Morse were excellent however. Leaves you wanting answers which there are none and that was disappointing. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Mar 30, 2026 The worldwide gross is $13,411.00, less than the production budget of $500,000,00. Difference of $486,589.00. See more Griffith J @griffithxjohnson Apr 25, 2025 A melancholy story that is carried by its tone & well shot scenes. Unfortunately the writing is so off putting that the purpose is lost in the strange mix. Serious subject matter but never properly examined with weird acting. See more steve d @RT35616104 Jul 1, 2020 Doesn't do anything interesting despite the strong cast. See more May 14, 2020 A gritty, realistic drama. Great acting by the lead characters. See more renaldo d @RT30888824 Apr 21, 2020 I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. There are scenes in the film that are horrible See more Read all reviews
The Slaughter Rule

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Cast & Crew

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Alex Smith

Director

Andrew J. Smith

Director

Ryan Gosling

Roy Chutney

David Morse

Gideon Ferguson

David Cale

Studebaker

Eddie Spears

Tracey Two Dogs

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The Slaughter Rule

The Slaughter Rule (2002) (left to right) Ryan Gosling and David Morse in THE SLAUGHTER RULE, a film by Alex and Andrew J. Smith. (left to right) Ryan Gosling and Eddie Spears in THE SLAUGHTER RULE, a film by Alex and Andrew J. Smith. Ryan Gosling in THE SLAUGHTER RULE, a film by Alex and Andrew Smith. Eddie Spears in THE SLAUGHTER RULE, a film by Alex and Andrew Smith. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Roy (Ryan Gosling) gets cut from his high school football team just days after his estranged father dies. For him, football is more than a proving ground. It is a promised escape from his lonely rural existence. Enter Gideon (David Morse), a loner living on the roughneck fringe who is looking for gamers - kids who scrap hard - to play on his six-man football squad. Roy joins the Renegades, and he and Gideon enter into tenuous friendship that pushes the limits of male bonding.
Director
Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith
Producer
Michael A. Robinson, Gavin O'Connor, Greg O'Connor
Screenwriter
Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith
Distributor
Cowboy Pictures
Production Co
Samuel Goldwyn Production
Rating
R (Language|Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 8, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.1K
Runtime
1h 59m
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