Interviews
Max Payne Director John Moore Just A Tad Pissed With Film Ratings Board
September 05, 2008
As a filmmaker, at least you always have the option of the director’s cut DVD and Blu-ray Disc, right?
John Moore: There’s always that creative safety net that there is a platform for the ultimate version of the movie out there on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. But to be quite honest, I didn’t go into this wanting it to be necessarily a hard R. Mark (Wahlberg) has been quoted as saying he wanted to work harder rather than just use bad language to express emotion. I took a similar tact. I put a lot of kinetic violence in the movie because that’s how the game feels, but I didn’t go cutting people’s heads off and ripping their eyeballs out just for the fun of it.
It probably hasn’t helped over the years that horror films like the Saw and Hostel franchises have received R ratings by the MPAA, correct?
John Moore: The R-rating has been completely abused now by films like Saw and exploitation movies. Those films are so happy to be getting an R that it’s undoing the point of the rating. The MPAA has mutated into an extremely dubious organization.
In terms of the film’s success, how big of a difference does the PG-13 versus R rating make?
John Moore: It’s conventional wisdom that you make more money from a PG-13 movie than from an R-rated movie. A lot of people aren’t fully aware that the reason studios are so gun shy about R-rated movies isn’t because of the content, it’s because it limits the advertising opportunities. You can’t advertise an R-rated movie before 9 p.m. in most states. You can’t advertise an R-rated movie in front of a PG-13 movie. There are some real hamstring rules of advertising.
Has anyone from the MPAA called you out on the fact that the games were Mature-rated and that was your source material?
John Moore: Fox’s blood’s up about it, I can tell you that much. It doesn’t help. If I was a smart member of the MPAA I would turn around and say to the filmmakers, “Guys, look at your source material.” But again, they’re supposed to judge actual content, not intent.
It’s like accusing a guy who has a prison record of murder without having a trial or jury. You’re hanging a guy for being a thief, not for stealing your wallet.
-John Gaudiosi
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9 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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