Last we heard from North Korea on James Franco and Seth Rogen's Kim Jong-un assassination flick The Interview, friend-of-the-regime Kim Myong-chol said it showed the "desperation of the US government and American society." The country's foreign ministry gave a much more strongly worded review today.

A spokesman for the ministry said in state-run media that releasing the film would be an "act of war" on the U.S.'s part, and claimed that the DPRK would take "stern" and "merciless" retaliation if it is not banned, the Associated Press reports.

Agence France-Presse has more from the unnamed spokesman's statement:

In a statement carried by North Korea's official KCNA news agency, a foreign ministry spokesman said the film was the work of "gangster moviemakers" and should never be shown.

"The act of making and screening such a movie that portrays an attack on our top leadership... is a most wanton act of terror and act of war, and is absolutely intolerable," the spokesman said.

In his statement, he called on the US administration to ban the film from being screened and warned that failure to do so would trigger a "resolute and merciless response."

At least Rogen and Franco can add "gangster moviemakers" to their resumes now.

[Image via AP]