Angelina Jolie Film Posters Banned

Members of the public complained that the advertisements for Wanted were irresponsible in the current climate and were likely to provoke violence or antisocial behaviour.

The film stars Jolie and British actor James McAvoy as a pair of assassins.

One poster featured a gun-toting Jolie lying across the bonnet of a car and a bullet curving towards the audience. It carried the strapline: "This is your destiny. Join us."

Another showed McAvoy with a gun in each hand, pointing towards the viewer. The accompanying slogan implied that his life had changed for the better since he became a killer.

The Advertising Standards Authority imposed the ban after receiving 17 complaints from the public, many of whom said the posters were unsuitable to be seen by children.

In its adjudication, the industry watchdog ruled: "We acknowledged most viewers would understand the posters reflected the content of an action film. However, we considered that because the ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of or related to guns and aspirational text, they could be seen to glamorise the use of guns and violence. We concluded [they] could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorising the use of guns."

An ASA spokesman added: "We have seen a proliferation of complaints from the public about advertising which is seen to condone gun or knife crime. We are responding to the level of consumer concern."

The film studio, Universal Pictures, said the posters had not appeared near schools or other areas frequented by children.
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