Philadelphia Residents Outraged by Hitman Movie Ads

Posted by on November 19th, 2007   Filed under: Action, Games, Posters and Marketing
Source: Destructoid

Remember earlier in the year when non-MPAA sanctioned billboard for the horror movie Captivity caused a big fuss and was pulled due to public complaints? It seems we now have a similar situation on our hands over in the City of Brotherly Love, where people were quite upset over the recent ad campaign for the upcoming movie Hitman. Residents of Philadelphia are understandably sensitive to images of people holding guns as of late, particularly after the recent shooting death of a police officer there, and the ad pictured above was requested to be removed by the city’s mayor. Clear Channel Outdoor complied, although the contract had nearly expired anyway. Now I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I have to say that the ad seems rather tame in comparison with a lot of other stuff that is probably seen on a daily basis in any major U.S. city. An article in the Philadelphia Daily News described the poster as portraying “a man pointing a gun, with a nearly naked woman draped over him”. Nearly naked? Hmm, okay then. It certainly sounds like an overreaction of sorts, but I don’t live in Philly so I can’t pretend to feel their pain. I wonder if they’ll try to get the movie itself banned next. What do you think, did this poster cross the line of decency and good taste?



  • Stormy70

    Is the mayor going to ask rappers to pull their videos from his city. I don’t think it is the Hitman movie poster encouraging the “gansta” culture in his city.

    This is stupid.

  • Liz

    Given the plot of the film, that poster could be a LOT worse.

  • American became a parody of itself around 10 years ago.

  • dario

    Well violent culture clearly revolves around assasins that wear suits and not thug life, gangs, and gangsta rap!

  • cib3k

    You said it, Henrik.

  • Jon Rocks

    I live in Philadelphia, and the posters for fictional movies are far from the biggest concern. We are now the nation’s leader in homocide, none of which were perpetrated by fictional hitmen, nor were they inspired by them. The Mayor of my poor city is a grade A jackass and doesn’t know his ass from his elbow. I could go on and on about this but won’t. Philadelphia is not a good place.