The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has pulled a Stranglehold TV spot, saying the ad was "likely to be seen as encouraging and condoning violence."
The advert featured a shootout (go figure, it being a John Woo game), but the real issue was the voice over, which said, "Honour is his code. Vengeance is his mission. Violence is his only option. John Woo presents Stranglehold. The next generation of action gaming has arrived."
The ASA felt that the voice over "suggested that it was honorable to seek revenge and that violence was an acceptable solution to a situation," and that the ad could therefore be interpreted as condoning and encouraging violence.
The watchdog group felt so strongly about the commercial that they pulled it entirely, rather than simply restrict it to late-night slots.
Not that I necessarily side with the ASA on this one, but if there's one guy with a history of making violence glorious, it's John Woo.
Stranglehold TV Ad Banned [Next-Gen]
