Warmly anticipated as something of a cause célèbre last year, the eventual appearance in UK cinemas of veteran director Fukasaku's 'Lord of the Flies' update, complete with decapitations, machine gun massacres and torrents of blood didn't really attract the ire it was perhaps relying on, and rather came and went.
Set in the near future in a Japan that has become fed up with youthful delinquents, Battle Royale is a law that insists upon the annual selection of a class of school children who must kill each other on a remote island until only one survives. (One wonders at the wisdom of legislation that means only a successful killer - or a very lucky kid - can be allowed back into a society that has sanctioned the law precisely because of random lawlessness, but it's only a movie.) The film follows the pupils of Class B of Zentsuji Middle School, apparently randomly selected, as they slug, shoot and stab it out, under the impassive gaze of 'Beat' Takeshi, cast here as the supervisor of the proceedings, who also happens to be an ex-teacher of the class.
The interest, aside from the skillfully mounted mayhem, lies in how the students' behaviour mirrors that of youths in 'normal' society under less extreme conditions, and as such the film should be treated very much as an allegory. Cliques continue to thrive, callow admissions of infatuation both result in and follow lethal injuries, loners either opt out entirely or become fully-formed sociopaths. This is not subtle stuff, but it is very well done and will, I'm sure, in time become in itself a rights-of-passage experience as the teenage audience excluded from the film's adult-only theatrical rating eventually discover it on domestic platforms. Although not in the US, apparently, where it so far remains undistributed, no doubt due to post-Columbine hysteria, which misses the point of the film entirely.
The DVD transfer is fine, and there is an amusing animated Menu that refers to the hilarious instructional video that the kids are shown in the film. Also present are the theatrical trailer, a stills gallery, filmographies, a trailer for Tartan's other films in their Asia Extreme series, and some hyperbolic, thoroughly unilluminating Film Notes written in migrane-inducingly-small type.
Reviewed by John Atkinson
Reader comments about Battle Royale
Hannah Kay Davies (Email address withheld) writes:
Battle Royale is one of the greatest movies of all time. Kiriyama is a god.
Nat (Email address withheld) writes:
Battle Royale is great! its one of the best films ive ever seen! I cant wait to see Battle Royale 2. Kiriyama is the best, he is so kool, its a pity he dies though!*sniffs*
Meifeng (Email address withheld) writes:
Battle Royale was kinda sick but so so kawai. I know Kiriyama was so cute its such a shame he was a psycho. Except at the end where he went blind that was kinda jank. Plus he finished Mitsuko and she was such a bitch for killing Megumi and Kayoko. Wuz really good movie though. x x x
Voodoodoll aka hannah (voodoodol13@hotmail.com) writes:
Its my favourite movie of all time!
ok i know everyone thinks Nanhara is cute but dont forget Kiriyama and Mimura and Sugimura and Kawada. my favourite bit is when Kiriyama staggers out from the inferno that was Mimura's hq but its nasty when hes just firing randomly about with his eyeballs runnig down his face. I know thats pretty graphic but it makes the point
MJ Blount (wetwillysback@hotmail.com) writes:
I haven't seen Battle Royale yet but by your excellent review i must see it!
Should be getting it this xmas. Im starting to watch some more quirky films and im sure this is quirky film will get me going.
Silaqui Greyhawke (Email address withheld) writes:
I have now watched it three times and I still find joy in watching it. It is my favourite movie at the moment, tieing with Sin City. The second one was ok too, but the story was a bit flaky and didn't really make sense at times. I still recommend both movies as a must watch for everyone!! I am absolutly in love with Kiriyama. He is my hero. I just can't get enough of him and his psychotic smile - I love it so much. He should have won...
miguel tipacti (migueltipacti@mixmail.com) writes:
a very interesting japanese movie , the argument is original , not much gore and explicit but don't forget to see this.
ridley (craiglee666@hotmail.com) writes:
i love this movie, i would never of thaught to see such a film. kiriyama was just so cold he definatly should of been in number 2. would like to see one with prisoners fighting to the death with really sick weapons. sort of like unreal torniment the movie.
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