Interviews
Max Payne Director John Moore Just A Tad Pissed With Film Ratings Board
September 05, 2008
The MPAA, Hollywood’s governing body for film ratings, recently slapped the film adaptation of Max Payne with an R-rating and director John Moore (above) is a bit perturbed. The adult-only rating could have an affect on the box office take. But Moore also outlines what he sees as inequality in the system, saying, “The Motion Picture Association of America gave The Dark Knight a PG-13 rating and basically sucked Warner Bros.’ cock.”
The Max Payne video games all carried a Mature-rating, but Moore and 20th Century Fox went into filming the big screen adaptation, starring Mark Wahlberg as Payne, with a PG-13 rating as the goal. Moore took some time away from cutting the October 17th release down to a version that will appease the ratings board to vent his frustration with the erratic nature of the MPAA’s system in this exclusive interview.
Das Gamer: How challenging has it been to get a PG-13 rating for Max Payne?
John Moore: It continues to be a challenge. We’re right in the middle of it now. We’re suffering from what I call Batman blowback. The Motion Picture Association of America gave The Dark Knight a PG-13 rating and basically sucked Warner Bros. cock. I have a serious amount of issues with the MPAA. Did you know it was made up of volunteers? As if that somehow excludes them from some type of wrongdoing. You can’t serve on it if you’re a homosexual or if you didn’t grow up in a shared parenthood home. Go to their website and read their charter about what gives a fair and balanced view for typical parents. We’re still strangled by an association that’s straight out of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
What are the parameters in Hollywood today between a PG-13 and R-rated movie?
John Moore: The MPAA will never publish the rules. They’ll never tell a director, Here’s what’s going to get you an R, Here’s what’s going to get you a PG-13. People might think that’s impossible, but let me tell you, if I’m making a TV beer commercial, I know exactly what the rules are. The MPAA changes their rules willy-nilly and it depends on who’s seeing your actual movie at the time. It’s very difficult to get a hold on what’s acceptable. The only thing you can use is current standards. So I go and see The Dark Knight and I say, “Gee, that’s pretty gnarly for PG-13,” but I felt good about Max Payne after coming out of the theater. I thought Max wasn’t going to have a problem. And that’s not the case. They’re coming down on us pretty hard.
What did the MPAA tell you was the problem with Max Payne?
John Moore: They said to me, the movie feels R. And I said, “What the fuck is that, a group therapy session?” You can’t do that. They’re meant to judge content, not intent. They said the movie felt dark.
Darker than the Batman flick?
John Moore: They really hung themselves with The Dark Knight. Every other filmmaker in town is knocking on their door saying, “Please sir, may I have my PG-13 rating and be as fair to my movie as you were to The Dark Knight.”
12 Responses to “Max Payne Director John Moore Just A Tad Pissed With Film Ratings Board”
It’s a sad thing, The Dark Knight was indeed dark. Man, i was hoping to go with my budy to go see the movie but damn now i won’t be able too hope they fix it or at least edit it to LOOK like a Rated R movie since i’ll be paying for an R rated movie
By JAcob on Sep 6, 2008
dark knight satisfied the superficial PG-13 requirements like no blood being shown, joker never stabs anyone(just one slit conveyed thru sound effects)….never mind the horrid fleshy half of dent’s face….or a bomb planted that guys stomoach…..or the pencil trick(where was the pencil supposed to go other than that guy’s errr…. leave it)…..anyway who cares….the movie did rock…..
By abhishek on Sep 7, 2008
If they put out an unrated DVD, that’s cool with me, but then i ain’t gonna see that movie in cinema cut down to a childrens-save popcorn flick!
Hey… you weren’t even alowed to buy the game if under age… so why should underagers now be allowed to watch the movie!
The intent should be to make a good film keeping the essence of the game intact… so in my opinion they should go full-R!
By Kondorr on Sep 8, 2008
Moore is correct! Max Payne doesn’t need R for it to be a good movie. MPAA just has to follow its own previous precedents:
The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, Casino Royal, Mr. and Mrs. Smith… all PG 13 / and I don’t think that these films are lacking action/gun-play/shoot-outs…
MAX PAYNE trailer rocks!
By Joseph on Sep 8, 2008
There is a bit of a problem with the whole “Dark Knight did this” or “Bourne did that” argument, one that is clearly apparent to anyone who has seen “This Film has Not Yet Been Rated.”
The problem being that the MPAA doesn’t allow film makers to make comparisons to other films and they don’t have actual rules or regulations on their ratings. they simply rate something however they feel.
For example, there have been countless movies rated NC-17 for depicting a woman having an orgasm, or stimulating herself. However for every movie that has received an NC-17 rating for that, there are two or three R rated movie with a man doing the same thing, often depicted much more graphically than in the film with the woman.
The Ratings do not reflect any guidelines a movie may have met, as there are no real guidelines. Suggestions may be made by the MPAA as to how you might change your movie to fit their current idea of a PG-13 or an R, but only if you work for one of the large studios that fund them.
Independent studio often get a “We’re not allowed to tell you that, you’ll just have to figure it out yourself”
But, thats a lie. Because there are no real rules to this, or guidelines. Sure, saying Fuck won’t ever get you a G, but it could land you anywhere from PG to R depending on how far the stick is up the MPAAs collective ass that day.
The MPAA rating system is entirely invalid. The fact that there is so much legislature put down on the basis of this archaic program is a travesty. The ratings are decided by a bunch of bible thumping soccer moms and special interest groups.
By ANeM on Sep 8, 2008
Well, first of all, for a director he sure doesn’t know a lot. You can advertise R before PG-13 films, but you can not advertise PG before G, or PG-13 before PG. Really, anything else is fair game. Plus, if the movie is so ‘dark’ then why would it be targeted for a mainstream PG-13 crowd, like DK was, which he is obviously against it having a PG-13 rating. It doesn’t make sense and is contradictory.
By Chris on Sep 14, 2008
I think they should make a film as best they can and leave it at that, its done; to cut it would be like taking the caffeine out of coke so parents can feed it to there toddlers, but we all know that would ruin it. The game was made for adults so shouldn’t the movie reflect that aspect? I would rather it be as bad as Seven or Fight Club, with an R rating and earn cultural value over time, rather than just be another dumb family system movie that we will all forget about in three years. Because this really is one of the only original games that has film potential, but I guess its to soon to talk too; so far there is little that says this is a bad movie. There isn’t anything wrong with the rating system its the fact directors try to change their movie to meet a standard.
By John on Sep 28, 2008
I never saw a so much abominable movie version of a video game. It’s really sad, the videogame was thousandfold better than the film version. John, john, john, what do you like to show us? Sex, Drugs and Rocking Devils? ^^
The storyline do never act steady and show us a completely different Version of the REAL MAX PAYNE!!
If a second version comes (respectively Max Payne 2), please, PLEASE, then with another director!! Thank you.
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