Midway rapped for violent Stranglehold ad

A television ad for Midway's John Woo Presents: Stranglehold has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for being too violent.

Viewers complained that the ad was shown too early in the evening and that it glorified violence and gun crime and was a dangerous incitement to susceptible people.

The ASA said that the near-continuous gun play and voice-over glamorising violence as an acceptable solution to a situation meant that the ad could not be addressed simply by scheduling it later at night.

As a result, the ad has been withdrawn from transmission completely.

"We considered the ad was likely to be seen as encouraging and condoning violence," reported the ASA. "The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form."

Midway and its advertising company had argued that the ad was edited to ensure no blood or gore was shown or that any characters were seen to be shot.