Not really trash, this movie’s almost too good for ya! An “A” production all the way. Good cast, luscious lighting, breathtaking scenery and cinematography—and lots and lots and lots of killing.
It was a controversial sensation in Japan, spawning action figures (with stick-on wounds and bandages!), phone cards, and a gun lighter! A slightly futuristic “Lord Of The Flies” fable, with a class of 9-graders dumped on an island to fight it out to the death. The teacher/gamemaster Mr. Kitano is played with glee by “Beat” Takeshi, famous actor/director from Japanese Yakuza flicks like “Hana-bi”. What a great character, I don’t want to give too much away, let’s just say he gets the ultimate teacher’s revenge.
Supposedly on the way to a school trip, the kids are gassed and taken to an island, where they wake up fitted with explosive tracking collars. Teacher Kitano tells them that kids like you are what is wrong with the country today, so the government has instituted the BR program–Battle Royale, which is demonstrated in a hilarious video with an tremendously perky Japanese host. Friends are going to have to kill each other. Only one kid leaves the island-it’s a battle to the death. They get a random weapon, and scurry into the night.
Don’t worry about reading the subtitles, they help, but you can understand the story without ‘em. (Actually, even if you read the subtitles you will be confused.) From this early point on, it’s an ongoing procession of horrors, as the kids start knocking each other off.
The great thing about this concept (and the thing that would get changed and thus ruined in an American version) is that it’s not grizzled old criminals deserving of brutality but young teenagers who you are introduced to, get to like, and then see slaughtered. Makes for a very affecting movie. Try at the film’s beginning to guess who makes it off the island at the end. I did, and was way off—my guy got offed in the first reel.
Director Kinji Fukasaku (maker of 60 movies including lotsa Yakuza flicks and cult fave The Green Slime) does not dwell on the violence, but it’s damn sure present and well done. The film jars one all the more for it’s tender interludes where we meet the characters in gorgeously shot scenes in the beautiful countryside with Bach playing. Then all hell breaks loose again. 
There is a running body count to add to the claustrophobia, given in daily reports on loudspeakers by the utterly fantastic gravel-faced Kitano.
The violence is all wrapped up in some weird Japanese philosophy that seems kinda muddled, and leaves it open for interpretation.
Is it really about kids’ lack of respect for adults? Or the childishness of the adult world? Is it telling us to live life to the fullest, or telling us only the amoral and deceitful survive? Is it pro-fascist? Pro-individual rights? Is it a satire of life and death? Is it an anti-violence statement that just happens to have a ton of brutal violence?
Apparently the novel it is based on goes into much more detail of the characters thoughts, but without this, the movie’s intent is more nebulous. It seems to try and make a statement, but I dunno what it is… and that’s just fine. As a great piece of filmmaking, it stands on its’ own and doesn’t really need to be picked apart. But if you must examine the nuances of this popular film to death, there are several active discussion groups where you can exhaust the excruciating minutiae of the filmmaker’s vision. There is also a bunch of sites, here’s two of the best for you to check out: www.battleroyaleonline.com and www.battleroyalefilm.com
And in summer 2003 (at least on screens in Japan) came Battle Royale II! Director Blank Fukusaku died of cancer before its completion, so his son Kenta Fukusaku, the screenwriter, completed it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to the first one.
There are many versions of BR available. The one I got and would recommend is the Director’s Cut, with 8 extra minutes, and an extra disc full of making-of and behind the scenes stuff. Only problem with it is that the subtitles on the extra disc are only in Korean!
Battle Royale (and it’s sequel) will never get proper theatrical distribution in the US beyond scattered film festival screenings. The distributors are scared of having the next Columbine-type incident blamed on their film, so run out and buy the DVD now. You’ll be glad you did.
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