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"Kick Ass 2" is one of Jim Carrey's high-profile upcoming projects, but in light of the massacre last year at Sandy Hook Elementary and other events like it, the actor is now distancing himself from the film and what he calls "that level of violence." When it comes to graphic content, Hollywood has never been shy about being bloody:

The West was pretty wild in 1969's "The Wild Bunch," directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine as aging outlaws out to make a score. Plenty of bullets flew before it was all said and done.

Director Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film adaptation of the novel "A Clockwork Orange," about a sociopath and his gang, offered up plenty of violent scenes ranging from beatings to rape. The film was controversial following its release. And in 2010, nearly 40 years later, it still ranked on Time magazine's list of the "Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies."

When "Death Wish" was released in 1974, it caused quite a stir with its vigilante justice. Charles Bronson stars as a man who wantonly kills criminals after his wife is murdered by a group of thugs.

Remakes have tried to recapture the bloody mess of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" from 1974, but the original remains a classic and launched the character of Leatherface into the bloody hall of fame.

1989's "Bloodfist" followed a kickboxer out to avenge his brother's death. Plenty of folks get messed up along the way.

The violent death of mobster Bill Batts kicked off "Goodfellas" and the body count just rose from there. The 1990 film was critically acclaimed and earned co-star Joe Pesci an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had a lot of dreams in 1990's "Total Recall," but the violence was very real as he headed to Mars to figure out his memories.

No list would be complete without a Quentin Tarantino film (actually several, but more on that later). "Reservoir Dogs" had moviegoers in 1992 grabbing hold of their ears and wincing.

This time around, Tarantino let the girls have some fun. In 2003's "Kill Bill Volume 1," Uma Thurman wreaks havoc and dices enemies as The Bride.

The 2004 sequel, "Kill Bill Volume 2" had the tag line "The Bride is back for the final cut." Enough said.

Some fans of 2004's "Saw" had trouble not losing the contents of their stomach with this NC-17 movie about a serial killer who forces his victims to play a deadly game.

Adapted from a comic book series, 2005's "Sin City" was dark and bloody as it followed the tale of four characters dealing with crime and corruption.

Musician Rob Zombie directed the 2005 movie "The Devil's Rejects" about a family of serial killers on the run.

Amsterdam serves as the bloody backdrop of 2005's "Hostel," in which a group of travelers get more than they bargained for.

Viggo Mortensen's character loses his nice calm life after he defends his diner and its customers from would-be robbers in 2005's "A History of Violence."

Javier Bardem scared the mess out of audiences as an evil killer in the 2007 film "No Country for Old Men," which was no movie for the faint of heart.

Sure there were earlier "Rambo" movies, but Sylvester Stallone was the quintessential killing machine in the 2008 version as he attempted to rescue aid workers in Myanmar.

This time around Tarantino used France during World War II as the setting for much violence in 2009's "Inglourious Basterds."

"Inglourious Basterds" standout Christoph Waltz teamed up with Tarantino again for 2013's "Django Unchained," which saw Waltz and Jamie Foxx as a bounty hunter and freed slave who showed no mercy during their travels.

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(CNN) -- Jim Carrey's "Kick-Ass 2" co-stars may accept his decision not to support their film because of its intense violence, but that's not to say they agree with him.

Returning stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who were all in 2010's "Kick-Ass," told CNN that they view the story of everyday citizens who create superhero alter egos to fight crime as a form of escapism rather than an encouragement to behave the same way.

"Here's the thing: you know, it's a movie," said Moretz, 16. "I think if you are the type of person who's going to be affected by a movie, you shouldn't go see anything. You shouldn't go see a princess movie because then you're going to think you're a princess! ... I make movies for fun. And I think movies are for people to escape and to see stuff that is completely unrealistic."

Like its predecessor, the sequel's adapted from the graphic novels by Mark Millar, who's said that while his work lives up to its title, it's meant to be pure entertainment.

For Carrey, though, the debate is a matter of conscience.

"I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence," he tweeted in June. "(M)y apologies to others involve with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart."

"I think with all the tragedies that happened (in the past) year with the movie theater shooting, and Sandy Hook, and all that stuff ... he had to step back and he's like, 'I can't promote this movie, it's not in my heart.' And I respect that opinion," Mintz-Plasse told CNN of Carrey's announcement.

"I see movies as a kind of escape to get away from the real world for a couple hours. But I don't know what kind of people are out there. Like chemically imbalanced in their minds, you know, what they think, what inspires them."

Portraying a teen character named Hit-Girl, Moretz said she always thinks about how her job can impact society, but the answer to her is a separation of fact from fiction.

"I'm not playing myself, you know? And as Chloe, I would never in a million years do it, and I know that difference," Moretz said. "Even when I was 11, I knew that difference."

The reality, said Taylor-Johnson, who plays the titular Kick-Ass, is that moviegoers buying tickets for an R-rated film are going to have certain expectations -- even from Carrey's new character, Col. Stars and Stripes.

"Jim brings such a fantastic element to this movie. The same kind of mad kookiness that (Nicolas) Cage did in the first ('Kick-Ass')," Taylor-Johnson said. "That's kind of what 'Kick-Ass' is, it's so off the wall. But the violence is all comic book violence, and it's a fictional piece. I think that's what people are expecting to see -- it's an R-rated movie."

For the fans who are anticipating the same tone as the first film, Taylor-Johnson promises they've kept that level of darkness in tact.

"At the end of the day, it's entertainment," he said. "This is even darker. ... I think there's so much packed in that they're not going to come out going, 'Aw, I wish I saw her do this or do that.' They're going to be like, 'Oh my God,' what?!' Just processing it all is going to take a couple days."

CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report.