Patrick Stewart against film violence

LOS ANGELES, March 5 (UPI) -- Patrick Stewart has launched an Amnesty International campaign against violence in Hollywood films, condemning movies such as "Kill Bill" for their brutality.

Stewart, perhaps best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series and films, has decided to speak out against the entertainment industry's culture of violence, Ananova's Web site reported Friday, and has implored filmmakers to reconsider before portraying violence.

"The entertainment industry has been extremely irresponsible in perpetuating and stereotyping the violent attitudes of men to women," Stewart said.

"I condemn utterly films like (Quentin Tarantino's brutal martial arts film) 'Kill Bill,' which we are told are empowering women," he said. "But they are apparently empowering women to kill other women, which was the message that I took from the film.

"Violence against women diminishes us all. If you fail to raise your hand in protest, you are part of the problem."