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The Equalizer With Censored Version in UK Cinemas

Pre-Cuts for BBFC 15 Rating

When Antoine Fuqua sits down on the director's chair, you can be sure to expect hard-hitting action. His newest star-studded thriller The Equalizer with Denzel Washington and Chloe Grace Moretz doesn't seem to disappoint in that regard, judging from the trailer. Also, it is the second team-up between Fuqua and Washington since Training Day.

In the US, the MPAA gave the film an "R" rating and the BBFC would have placed its classification in a similar area as it was planning to assign its "BBFC 18" rating to the movie. But that's too high for the studio's taste. For the theatrical release, they want the more lucrative BBFC 15 classification and that demanded cuts. They consulted with the ratings board and applied suggested cuts in order to achieve that goal:

During post-production, the distributor sought and was given advice on how to secure the desired classification. Following this advice, certain changes were made prior to submission

This work was originally seen for advice. The company was advised that the film was likely to receive an 18 certificate but that their preferred 15 classification could be achieved by making cuts to reduce the violence in two scenes. When the finished version of the film was submitted for formal classification, edits had been made to reduce sequences of violence, including detail of a stabbing with a corkscrew and a garroting. The formal submission was consequently rated 15.

In England, the censored version of The Equalizer will hit cinemas on September 26th, 2014. It's quite possible that this version also ends up on DVD/BD as this has unfortunately happened more often in the recent past.

Release: Sep 06, 2014 - Author: Blade41 - Translator: Mike Lowrey - Source: BBFC

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