Unlucky Suburb
Screenplay Europe reports that the latest Luc Besson production, Banlieue 13 (Suburb 13) has been banned from Brussels’ largest cinema complex, Kinepolis.
The film, which is set in Paris in 2013, is an acrobatic, martial arts inspired action movie about a prisoner released to help a special unit police officer. It is violent, but has been rated as suitable for under 16s.
The film has already been seen by over 500,000 people in France without any problem and can be seen in any Kinepolis cinema outside of Brussels. It can also be seen in any cinema in Brussels not owned by Kinepolis, so I really don’t see what the chain expects to achieve by not showing the film.
The report notes that the complex in question has suffered problems with young gangs, but banning the film really isn’t going to solve anything.
The idea that violent films makes people behave violently is a ridiculous one which only persists because of a desire to find easy - and cheap - solutions to complex problems. Kinepolis are doing themselves no favours whatsoever by refusing to show this film.
Sunday 05 Dec 2004 | Paul | The Pit
