Sly Stallone's 'Escape Plan' Censored In Dubai After Arabic Swearing Heard

Sylvester Stallone's latest movie, Escape Plan, may be full of violence but this was not the aspect of the action film that Dubai censors took offence at. Moviegoers in the United Arab Emirates watched as the cinema screens cut to black during a screening of the film after a character was heard swearing in Arabic; the national language.

Sylvester Stallone Stars As A Man With The Unique Ability For Escape.

The Dubai Media Council ruled that theatres had to immediately halt the screening of Escape Plan so that the offensive language could be removed, reports The National, via The Washington Times. Authorities moved with speed to quickly edit out the profanity with the revised version restored to theatres within hours, reports the AP.

With many of its laws grounded in traditional Muslim beliefs, the Arab government has been known to censor films, removing content that may be deemed inappropriate which often includes kissing, sex, foul language, or blasphemous scenes.

Watch The 'Escape Plan' Trailer:

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, the movie stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger who are tasked with the challenge of escaping from a futuristic, supposedly escape-proof prison. The high-action plotline sees Stallone rally against those who've betrayed him whilst devising a clever method to break free from jail. Amy Ryan, Vincent D'Onofrio and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson also star in the movie currently showing in cinemas worldwide.

Though the movie is a surefire hit with fans of other guns-blazing movies like The Expendables, The Hollywood Reporter finds the film's "cheesy look, demented plotting, cardboard characterizations and tacky style " abhorrent and notes the cast's "not entirely convincing team."

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Latest Film Is Censored In The UAE.

Though Variety's review is not as acerbic, the middling assessment of the movie won't do the Hollywood action heavyweights Stallone and Scharzenegger any favours. "The highest compliment one can pay "Escape Plan" is that this prison-break actioner plays much like the kind of film the two might have made in their heyday." Although "efficiently constructed," "Fight choreography breaks no new ground" and "fights are limited to punches and judo holds, with nary a throat-ripping or eye-gouging to be seen."

Escape Plan is out in cinemas now.