But a bristling display of troops and weaponry kept violence to a minimum in what appeared to be a victory for President Pervez Musharraf's get-tough policy with protesters.
ISIS pitches itself as made up of a bunch of jihadi James Bonds: Alpha males comfortable with and enthused by weaponry and violence, soigné, polished, and commanding.
However, in 20 minutes of coming attractions (not to mention a James Bond-style commercial for beer), I saw more money poured into glamorizing explosives, weaponry and commercialized violence than I'd witnessed in quite some time.
From the beginning, he has carefully gauged the international mood with each incremental deployment of violence and weaponry.
"I don't think he'd ever be able to conceive what's going on now," Davis observed, "the amount of gun violence or weaponry".
IDF naval personnel encountered severe violence, including use of weaponry prepared in advance in order to attack and to harm them.
The north has bumped up its Chinese weaponry and may have stoked tribal violence between Dinka, Murle and Nuer groups in the south to justify delaying the vote.But China may no longer be an unqualified backer of Mr Bashir.
Besides the settings, methods of violence, and kinds of weaponry used, distinct agendas seem to have undergirded them.
That real violence, craziness, evil and weaponry entered a sweet suburban summer movie early Friday morning is the ultimate reversal of right and wrong.
The original UK release received various cuts to scenes of violence and martial arts weaponry, and to reduce the impact of sound effects, in order to receive a more box-office-friendly 12 certificate.
