'Payne' director Moore criticises MPAA

Max Payne helmer John Moore has criticised the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), accusing it of exhibiting double standards.

The outspoken director objected to the organisation initially classifying his video game adaptation with an R rating when The Dark Knight was instantly granted a more family-friendly PG-13 certificate.

He said: "We were very unfairly treated. Dark Knight got a PG-13 rating even though it has a guy shoving a pencil through another guy's head. We got an instant R rating and the MPAA said, 'Well, your movie feels R'.

"I took issue with them and I appealed, and I said, 'You've no right to judge intent, you've only a right to judge content.' We won, we did not make cuts and I'm very proud of that. I'm sure they will get me back on the next movie!"

He continued: "They were afraid of Warner Bros, they gave them the rating they wanted [for The Dark Knight]. Our little movie came along and we got the blowback."

Moore also questioned the MPAA's criteria for membership, saying: "You can't be gay to serve on the board, you have to have a 'shared parenthood experience'. There are 22 million single parents in America, so none of them are eligible to serve on the MPAA board - give me a f**king break. It's screwed up, the whole system is screwed up."

> Click here for our interview with Max Payne star Mark Wahlberg