Stranglehold UK Advert on Hold

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled today that a TV spot for Stranglehold, Midway's John Woo-scribed action game, can not be shown again in its current form.

The advert depicts a shoot-out from the game and provoked two complaints to the ASA, one viewer complaining that it "glorified violence and gun crime and that it was a dangerous incitement to susceptible people", while the second contested whether it was "acceptable for transmission before 9pm, when young children were likely to see it."

Picture Production Company, responsible for the spot, argued that the violence on display was "stylised, unrealistic and had a fantasy quality", and that "there was no blood and gore as a result of the shooting."

The ASA, however, took objection to the voiceover that states "Honour is his code. Vengeance is his mission. Violence is his only option", which they believed could be seen as encouraging and condoning violence. Finally, they ruled that the advert could not be shown again in its current form.

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