These days Japan is pretty much seen as the only country to really carry on the tradition of making really important balls-to-the-wall horror: either slow, subtle ghost-burners like DARK WATER, or all-out gore-fests, like BATTLE ROYALE. Yet this latter movie is by no means a straightforward, plot less exercise in violence: in fact it is a dark, dark movie with dark, dark morals. It involves a class of typical school kids butchering each other in increasingly excessive ways; yes, these are real kids playing the kids, and yes, the violence is in your face throughout and doesn't let up. It isn't all doom and gloom, however, as an undercurrent of humour runs throughout the movie, stopping things from becoming too horrible.
The casting of Japanese icon "Beat" Takeshi as the class teacher, who eats a bag of cookies, sleeps, and occasionally kills kids, is inspired. I've heard a lot about Takeshi and I had been itching to see him in action; he doesn't disappoint with his ultra-weird, warm-hearted character here, dangerous yet vulnerable, a sadistic killer yet also a man with a broken family.
This is far from brain-dead entertainment such as the similarly-themed RUNNING MAN, however (not that I'm prejudiced against brain-dead entertainment; far from it, I actually love it to bits). The violent backdrop is actually an excuse to explore the human condition and to see what makes people tick, just like in reality TV series like BIG BROTHER. Some kids vow non-violence and band together as friends or in an attempt to destroy those in charge; doomed lovers kill themselves instead of fighting to the death; some become psychopaths, killing anyone in their path; others fall foul of misunderstandings and end up dying in agony. Watching as each character undergoes a unique arc is what makes this extremely fast paced movie so entertaining.
Alternatively, BATTLE ROYALE works just as well as an action movie as a satire, or political statement, or whatever. The kids each have a different weapon, ranging from a tin lid (!) to a machine-gun, and there are tons of shoot-outs, showdowns and bloody murders throughout, you'll never get bored. The script is genuinely unpredictable as in who lives and who dies, and it's very interesting to see the natural winners (such as the pretty girl) becoming increasingly ruthless as they slaughter their way through their classmates as the game progresses. Tatsuya Fujiwara later capitalised on his captivating turn here with a similar one in the DEATH NOTE films. This truly is a unique, imaginative film which rises above its exploitation roots to become a classic piece of entertainment.
The casting of Japanese icon "Beat" Takeshi as the class teacher, who eats a bag of cookies, sleeps, and occasionally kills kids, is inspired. I've heard a lot about Takeshi and I had been itching to see him in action; he doesn't disappoint with his ultra-weird, warm-hearted character here, dangerous yet vulnerable, a sadistic killer yet also a man with a broken family.
This is far from brain-dead entertainment such as the similarly-themed RUNNING MAN, however (not that I'm prejudiced against brain-dead entertainment; far from it, I actually love it to bits). The violent backdrop is actually an excuse to explore the human condition and to see what makes people tick, just like in reality TV series like BIG BROTHER. Some kids vow non-violence and band together as friends or in an attempt to destroy those in charge; doomed lovers kill themselves instead of fighting to the death; some become psychopaths, killing anyone in their path; others fall foul of misunderstandings and end up dying in agony. Watching as each character undergoes a unique arc is what makes this extremely fast paced movie so entertaining.
Alternatively, BATTLE ROYALE works just as well as an action movie as a satire, or political statement, or whatever. The kids each have a different weapon, ranging from a tin lid (!) to a machine-gun, and there are tons of shoot-outs, showdowns and bloody murders throughout, you'll never get bored. The script is genuinely unpredictable as in who lives and who dies, and it's very interesting to see the natural winners (such as the pretty girl) becoming increasingly ruthless as they slaughter their way through their classmates as the game progresses. Tatsuya Fujiwara later capitalised on his captivating turn here with a similar one in the DEATH NOTE films. This truly is a unique, imaginative film which rises above its exploitation roots to become a classic piece of entertainment.