Watchdog criticises gun movie ads

The ASA says the posters should not be used again

Complaints about a set of film posters featuring actors brandishing guns have been upheld by advertising watchdogs.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said adverts for the film Shoot 'Em Up, which received 55 complaints, could be seen to glamorise violence.

One poster shows actor Clive Owen leaping and with guns in both hands pointing towards the viewer.

The ASA is holding a seminar in Nottingham after a sharp rise in complaints about violent imagery.

In a second poster, actor Paul Giamatti was shown holding a gun and a mobile phone with the line: "Just another family man making a living."

Aggressive expression

Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd disagreed with the complaints, saying Owen's guns were angled away from the viewer.

The distributor added that the poster featuring Owen had been approved by the Advertising Viewing Committee of the Film Distribution Association.

However, the ASA said the actor's expression was aggressive, and the posters could be seen to condone violence. It ordered that the two posters should not be displayed again.

The ASA has received more than 1,700 complaints about violent imagery in adverts so far this year, almost twice as many as last year.

The authority said it takes the increase very seriously.