Red Band Trailer Face Off: The Controversy of A Serbian Film vs. Jason Statham in Blitz

Since we now have confirmation that U.S. audiences will have a chance to see the uncut version of A Serbian Film (AKA: The movie that sparks child pornography charges and police raids), it seems like as good of a time as any to check out the restricted trailer for the film. But what's that? Jason Statham just crashed a motorcycle through three windows and brought a Red Band trailer for his new vigilante cop movie Blitz as well! But which trailer makes better use of this marketing gimmick and crams in more explicit content? Let's break it down. Obviously, NSFW content lies ahead.

Language

· Blitz - Two uses of the F-word, one use of the C-word.

· There is no inappropriate language in the trailer for A Serbian Film

Advantage: Blitz

Violence

· Blitz - Contains one point blank shooting and (by my count) seven glimpses of brutal beatdowns. The most notable of these involves a person stomping a guy's head against a curb. Ouch.

· A Serbian Film - I had to make some tough judgment calls when separating the sex and violence into different categories here. We definitely see blood splashed on a wall, blood running down a drain and blood on a few women who have been beaten up (I think). The protagonist also wields a machete and a pistol while covered in blood. The only real challenge this trailer offers to Blitz is a quick shot of someone stabbing a huge syringe into another person's neck. Also, the protagonist punches the audience at the end of the trailer, though it doesn't actually hurt much since the rest of the preview has already been doing the same thing figuratively for the last two minutes.

Advantage: A Serbian Film, barely.

Sex

· Blitz - One quick cut to an ariel shot of a naked woman writhing in bed.

· A Serbian Film - Deep breath, everyone. The trailer begins with some chaste footage of the ex-porn star protagonist and his wife in bed together. Then things get messy. The main character walks around in various states of undress during several shots of the preview. We see several unconscious naked women, one naked woman chained to a bed and one crying in the shower. Also, the trailer includes shots of violent, simulated sex, simulated sex next to scary masked men, and also brief simulated oral sex. Almost all of it is horrifying.

Advantage: A Serbian Film

Verdict

· Blitz - I was more or less down with this film based on the first trailer, and that hasn't really changed. At the same time, I expected more from a red band trailer, even a 30-second one. The marketing team behind The Mechanic knew what was up.

· A Serbian Film - I did not enjoy this trailer. At the same time, I feel a bit like Marty McFly in Back to the Future when Biff called him a chicken. We'll see.

No embed available yet for the A Serbian Film trailer, so if you're still interested, check it out at the official site. Again, NSFW!