This film from Japan was an international sensation. It was a controversial one as well. I saw it by getting an all-region DVD from Korea off e-Bay for Christmas. But I am now seeing it at some indie rental outlets for rent. I've been waiting two years to see this film and it was well worth it. Simply explaining the plot will explain the controversy.
It's set in a near future Japan where adults have lost all faith in the morals of the teen generation. As a way to keep the youth as a whole in line, they have instituted a new act where one ninth-grade class a year is chosen to participate in Battle Royale. The 42 students must kill each other off one by one until only one teen survives. If you don't kill, a collar around your neck will explode, killing you.
A lot has been said about the violence of the film, but it's far over-exaggerated. It's far less violent than a lot of mainstream Hollywood horror flicks. However, the killings are brutal at times – some say a bit cartoonish – but that's part of the point. The film works on two levels as a tense thriller and black satire. The film deals with issues of the generation gap, who is really to be blamed for unruly and violent youth, trust and love, and reality television were contestants are humiliated. The idea for FEAR FACTOR came from Japan.
The psychological complexity of how the various students react to the situation is phenomenal. No scene is more heartbreaking than the one set in the lighthouse. It's interesting to look at the different ways the deaths are viewed by the students and by the adults. The students honor the memory of the dead delivering an emotional power. The adults only coldly read off the names of the dead.
The main character is Shuya Nanahara (Tatsuya Fujiwara, BATTLE ROYALE II), an orphan, who was abandoned by his father and mother in a painful way. He decided to protect Noriko Nakagawa (Aki Maeda, GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK), who he and his best friend, Yoshitoki Kuninobu (Yukihiro Kotani, film debut), have a crush on. Shougo Kawada (Taro Yamamoto, upcoming MOON CHILD) is a transfer student, who helps Shuya and Noriko. Other key characters include the insane Battle Royale volunteer Kazuo Kiriyama (Masanobu Ando, upcoming TOKYO ELEVEN); the beautiful emotional-tortured seductress Mitsuko Souma (Kou Shibasaki, DRIVE); and the girl who won't take crap from any guy Takako Chigusa (Chiaki Kuriyama, KILL BILL: VOL. 1). Japanese action star Beat Takeshi plays Kitano, the students' former teacher and the person in-charge of Battle Royale. His role is key to understanding the overall message of the film and he nails it perfectly. His humorous last scene is played pitch-perfect – balancing between an odd realism and droll wit.
When mainstream American cinema tries to take moral stand, it deals with a moral that is impossible for anyone to disagree with like "life should be lived to its fullest." I only wish more films in America would have the guts to take a chance like this one does. Shocking, but brilliant filmmaking at its best. It's a film that you won't forget.
Buy "Battle Royale" on DVD Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
