"An uncompromising film that stays with you long after the credits roll."
Japanese films are often notoriously violent and Battle Royale is no exception to that rule. It has been adapted from a book of the same title by Koshun Takami. The basic premise to this film is that a group of teenagers are transported to a remote island and forced to enter a game where the main rule is to kill or be killed. I have seen equally violent films in my time but the thing that makes Battle Royale more shocking and controversial than others is the age of the killers – there is something quite disturbing watching a group of high school kids take each other out with a variety of weapons.Battle Royale is a government initiated program designed to control the wayward youth of Japan. The students are given a bag at the beginning of the game which contains a map, compass, food and a random weapon – if you’re lucky you get an Uzi and if you’re unlucky you may score a saucepan lid. Each participant wears an explosive collar which can be manually activated at any time and will automatically go off if tampered with. There can only be one survivor, if there is more than one participant remaining after three days then the explosive collars will be set off killing all remaining players. It does not take long before these desperate teenagers realise the seriousness of their situation and a bloodbath begins. There are those killing out of fear, revenge, pleasure and those who refuse to play either by avoidance or suicide.
The intense violence aside there are strong messages within this film that translates well to a western audience. We are presented with kids facing common issues for their age which can be an extremely difficult period in life. The characters here are like any other high school kids. This makes it easy to relate to them and forces you to think about what path you would take if you were faced with their same predicament. There are also themes exploring the media’s obsession with violence and it also looks at society’s fascination with reality TV. There is a comically cheerful presentation video that the students watch in order to learn the rules of the game, there’s a tally on the screen each time someone is killed and there are loudspeaker announcements naming the latest victims each morning.
Whilst the blood is flowing during Battle Royale there is an underlying love story developing between two of the main characters Shuya and Noriko. They have an eager determination to survive together and escape the island. During the game they meet up with Kawada who is a previous survivor with a tale of how he shot his girlfriend in order to complete the game. So what will they do if they are the last two survivors?
Battle Royale is beautifully shot and well acted which is unusual for such an extreme movie. Veteran Japanese actor ‘Beat’ Takeshi plays the disgruntled ex-teacher in control of the game – he plays a usually cold hearted and violent role that he has perfected over the years. All the teenage actors involved do exceptionally well playing the frantically distressed kids playing a mandatory and wicked game. The violence is incredibly graphic and realistic which adds to the film’s effectiveness.
This is the last film that director Kinja Fukasaku completed before his death earlier this year and to say he went out with a bang is an understatement. It is an uncompromising film that stays with you long after the credits roll.Even though Battle Royale will remain a fairly underground film, it already has deserved cult status and will be a reference point for years to come.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Actionfest 2011 For more in the Actionfest 2011 series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2011 New York Asian Film Festival For more in the New York Asian Film Festival 2011 series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2011 Fantasia International Film Festival For more in the Fantasia International Film Festival 2011 series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2013 Boston SciFi Film Festival For more in the 2013 Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival series, click here.
User Comments
1/30/14
Ionicera
great satire, very suspenseful
12/20/12
shooters33
This was the best movie I have seen all year if ever. THG totally ripped this off !!
9/13/12
Marty
Come on guys. It's a shock value film that's kinda fun. Too inconsistent to have meaning.
5/16/10
wlad
the best movie ever made. it has it all - action,and a deep underlying meening. This is art
12/23/09
Jeff
Mind-blowing film!
9/08/09
Lewis
This actually is the best feature-length film ever. No joke.
2/17/09
Lucy
My absolute favourite film of all time
6/25/08
ES
It was way better than I expected
5/17/08
ash
Deserves a headscratch with its pretext, but events in the "game" itself make us reflect
5/07/08
Dimitri
I really, really loved this movie, a bit violent but strong.
11/22/07
Luke
FUCKING AMAZING!
7/24/07
AnthonyBenigno
Despite the manga being superior, i love the different view the movie puts on the story!
2/20/07
KitaShu
Amazing movie - a must see for those who love action! Like me! XD
2/06/07
CoDeMaStEr
its so cool do any 1 no wen nomber 3 is out
12/27/06
mE
The best movie ever!
12/09/06
Porcelain
Its actually aesthetic through the gore.Very real display of survival instinct in humans.
11/28/06
Bella
amazing book, kick ass film, ram the point home - this is hardcore
8/10/06
melivorous
Masanabu Ando, Chiaki Kiriyama, Beat Takashi!! what more could you ask for!
7/13/06
sayori
hayatýmda en güzel filmdir. mesala chiaki kuriyama, kou shibasaki ve aki maeda...
5/23/06
Agent Sands
One of the great gorefests. Takeshi, as always, delivers with a wryly hilarious performance
12/03/05
Jennifer S.
This was just an excellent movie, start to finish.
11/29/05
tr3svirus
amazing movie
10/16/05
Anus
ABIGAIL CAN SUCK MY COCK ANYDAY!
8/31/05
Christine Hosie
great film!! strange in it's barbarism
5/07/05
K. Sear
Some weak moments but, all in all, a great movie.
4/01/05
Seresh
I can't get it out of my head. absolutley mind blowing
3/22/05
The Mockingbird
why cant we make something like this? one of my all time favs
2/10/05
Scapegoats
What a great movie...who ever says it sucks should be tared and feathered.
1/29/05
Abigail
sucks totally.. makes no sense - YUK!
1/17/05
Dark Lord
Brilliant, Shocking, Funny and Scary all at the same time.
1/08/05
Pent
I agree with shogo kawada
12/08/04
Shogo-Kawada
You know this is also a real game in east asia..
12/02/04
Al Guy
More pathos than I would have thought. Great movie.
11/28/04
Joe
One more reason why hollywood sucks
11/09/04
Alaric L
A film about violence in human nature
10/22/04
sofia
the most mazing film i have ever seen ( no joke)
8/11/04
Lee
Extremely nice. I loved this movie!!!! R.I.P.Kinji Fukasaku
8/10/04
kyotomatt
Decent, but not as good as the book. Takeshi ruined the ending.
8/06/04
tohru senno
its the best war movie ever
8/03/04
SpuD
I actually found the film quite humourous :) We have it on DVD here too! Yey ^^
7/25/04
Patrick Puhl
If you were appalled, you missed the point
7/07/04
dead next door
cool flick
6/15/04
Tuan Nguyen
Excellent story, music, and bloody gore. If you have watced it, you're one lucky bastard.
6/03/04
Mr Mayagi
Must see movie Daniel-san.
6/03/04
VOS
Outrageously riveting and compelling. It's a must see!
6/03/04
Dave
This film remains with you long after you have watched it. A disturbing film. QUITE AMAZING
5/18/04
taintedlunch
You've never seen anything like it. Find this movie!
5/17/04
Geoff
hilarious, exciting... just plain awesome
4/19/04
Mitsuko Sinh
THIS MOVIE ROCKED!! IT REALLY SHOWS HOW CRUEL THE WORLD MAY ONE DAY BECOME!
4/12/04
Ryan Phallus
Brutal, Intense, Immersive, Thought-Provoking, and hard to catagorize.
4/01/04
Noriko
Awesome
3/16/04
Amzad H
Visually disturbing, but brilliant!!
2/14/04
Jaznng
I thought this had an interesting point of view and the different situations showed alot.
1/29/04
Meghan Carr
An Awesome, thought provoking movie!
1/23/04
JC
Wow! I expected the movie to be good but not THAT good. Fantastic film. www.film-view.tk
1/15/04
Colleen
This movie was brilliant. I'm about done with the book right now, which might be better. =b
1/05/04
Ben
Good film with an astounding idea behind the carnage. Read the book as well if you can.
1/03/04
Mark
Simply one of the greatest movie's ever made, a classic
12/22/03
jamie
one of the best movies out there.
12/15/03
delia johnson
the movie fell short, but the concept is fucking awesome.
11/14/03
Igor
Insane violence + good story = kick ass movie.
11/04/03
ThuG_uNit
Very good Movie
10/18/03
Vince
This is one fucked up movie.
10/15/03
Ying
its a GREAAAAAT movie.Everybody who's niet a chickenshit has got to see it!!!!!!
10/15/03
alsiha
Best movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10/15/03
AVG AZN BOI
c'mon ppl, hoo dun lik ta c a movie wit kyute jap skool gurlz killin dere best friendz?
10/05/03
john holdsworth
one of the best films ever!!!
9/23/03
aya
wonderful
9/06/03
mark
excellent movie
8/11/03
Richard Fitzmaurice
This film is the best i have seen in a very long time!
8/04/03
Noriko Yanagida
(yes my real name is Noriko) This movie is disturbingly wonderful! A cult classic. ^_^
7/20/03
BookWorm
Read the book, screw the film
7/12/03
Dreamwalker
Fantastic film, great characterization. Shame that it's bound to be badly remade in the U.S
7/02/03
jih
absolutely fucking amazing the guys who say total crap are retards with not friends.
6/24/03
Pete B
beautiful film! You see this remade for the American market!
6/21/03
Kevin Fuld
Awesome Movie!
6/21/03
Kay
My god.... a fascinating look at a society near you!
6/14/03
ARM GHOST
Battle Royale is one of those Movies that need to get into the state,
6/12/03
Jerry
DO'H!! DO'H!! DO'H!! Ah,my last letter. DO'H!!!!
6/12/03
WakeAngel
MORE MORE MORE
6/11/03
jessie
it was a mad and sad movie
6/11/03
Rob
i am a fan of asian films anyway but this was the best
6/09/03
Ronald
Blam this piece of crap!!
6/08/03
Ben Barr
I thought it was a great movie. I first heard about it in Pulp magazine.
6/06/03
Chris
Great fun, has such an energy to it, but also quite harrowing as well
6/04/03
MoMusumefan21
Very huanting, you will always remember this movie. Cant wait for BR II in July 2003!
6/04/03
AJ
good movie. . . it really makes you think
5/27/03
Robbie
Awful!! I give this movie 0%
5/27/03
Temple
This is by far one of the best films ever made!
5/24/03
Freddie
Overall message is deep, but lacking in tact in places. Needs a better ending.
5/23/03
Korny
Perhaps the best movie ever made.
5/23/03
johnathan lamplough
this movie is the coolest ive seen in ages and ive seen reloaded!
5/22/03
Genshu Makota
Still a great piece of Japanese Cinematography. Should definitely be U.S bound!
5/20/03
Williefish
hilarious!
5/19/03
ginger
Awsome
5/19/03
JEff
very unique movie...i loved it
5/06/03
Frank
This film is amazing. I couldn't believe what I had saw when it was finally over.
4/21/03
Adam Rosenberg
This movie has made it onto my top 75 i give it 5 stars
4/18/03
JAZY J 2003
I KNOW I WAS THERE!
4/12/03
William Stewart
The Kubrik of Japan, very impressive.
4/08/03
Dave
Non-stop ultra violence with a wicked sense of humour. Now that's entertainment.
4/07/03
Wayne
A dark and thrilling fairy tale of modern violence
3/31/03
Kyle
I'm at a loss for words. Incredible.
2/27/03
NOS
Watched it pressing the fast forward button of my remote
2/14/03
Steve
Great
2/04/03
Mr Temple
It's the dogs bollocks!!!
1/11/03
Amanda Norcross
Watch out for those transfer students!!
1/09/03
Safia
One of the best Japanese movies I've seen
11/24/02
DRiON
MITSUKO KICK'S ASS!!!
11/12/02
Fonq35
Simply awesome... you will not see anything like this from Hollywood - treasure it!
10/12/02
H3LLSING
One of the best Japanese movies I've ever seen next to "Wild Zero". Watch it! Love it!
9/29/02
HRaven
now..I want the DVD... Worth the bill !
9/27/02
Azhrarn
Who's your daddy bitch?
9/18/02
DPop
Amazing and Thought Provoking
9/11/02
Vivek Bansal
Shocking, controversial, reminds me of middle school.
9/10/02
Reiko
twisted beyond words.. I loved it...
9/04/02
Patrick Ng
One of the best movies I've ever seen!
8/16/02
Steve Firstenburg
One of the most original and original movies to come out of any country in quite a while.
8/08/02
Roy
good movie, got me paranoid.
8/07/02
Jon Warner
A profoundly subversive cult film - horrific, emotionally draining, and funny, too!!??
8/03/02
Andy H
it blew my mind, US movies don't take this much risk....so sad
7/30/02
edward h.
Really disturbing film - powerful.
7/26/02
Joe Blow
aWESOME!
7/17/02
Chronobyte
Very Entertaining
4/15/02
DNA
quite enjoyable
4/14/02
Krash
i personally think that the law should be passed for real
3/27/02
Tom Steer
Entered my top 3 all time films 20 mins after it started
3/20/02
Sakonchai Jiravanichkul
How to survive in the real life is the truly question for our teenager.
3/19/02
JoB
Kick ass movie!!!
3/13/02
cARa
perty boring
3/12/02
Roy O' Bannon
I love it!!!!! Best Movie for Years
3/10/02
Sugimura-sama
It's violent movie!!I love it!!
2/18/02
Andrew Carden
Interesting Movie...Good Direction and Screenplay.
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