Ok, so i'm a little late in seeing this film - but just had to recommend it. Here's my review:
One of the best movies I've seen in a long time is Battle Royale. Directed by FUKASAKU Kinji - considered one of Japan's premier action directors -this movie is, for the lack of a better term, INCREDIBLE. Beat Takeshi is also in this film!!!
It's pretty gory and bloody, but EXTREMELY well directed and very clever. The dark humor contributes to a very unique film.
(synopsis borrowed from battleroyalethemovie.com)
Long synopsis At dawn of the new millennium, the country is in a state of collapse.
Unemployment stands at 15% with millions out of work. School violence is out of control and rebellious teenagers stage mass boycotts. The beleaguered government retaliates with Battle Royale.... Each year a randomly chosen class is pitted against itself on an abandoned island in a cruel game of survival.
A boisterous group of 9th graders embarks on a school trip. A typical group of adolescents, they flirt, tease, bully and joke on the bus journey to their destination. Nanahara Shuya, shares cookies with his friends Nobu and Noriko on the way. On arrival, they awake from a drug-induced sleep, to find that they have been hijacked to fight this year's Battle Royale.
A former teacher, Kitano (Beat Takeshi), will oversee the battle. Flanked by gun-toting soldiers, Kitano explains that each student has been fitted with a necklace that monitors their location. It can also explode on command. He casually murders Nobu to make the point.
The rules of this game are simple:
? It lasts three days
? Each player starts out with food, water and a "weapon"
? If more than one player survives, everyone dies
? There is no escape
As the roll call begins, one by one the kids grab backpacks and stumble away towards death or murder. As Noriko picks up her pack, Nanahara quietly urges her to wait for him. When they meet outside they barely have time to compare weapons before a classmate falls on them with a hatchet. In the struggle that follows, Nanahara inadvertently kills the boy. Confused and angry, Nanahara vows to protect Noriko, and to outwit his government's sick experiment by finding a way to survive with his friends.
As the game progresses, terror and panic challenge the students' fragile trust in each other. Some suspect everyone, blindly striking down those who cross their paths. Others form alliances dreaming of a peaceful solution with multiple survivors. Against a tapestry of violence, hope and fear, Nanahara and Noriko begin to fall in love. Despite the game's brutality, the adolescent players maintain their school obsessions with crushes, petty grudges and their dreams. But as the game approaches its shocking final stages, even this semblance of normality disintegrates. (borrowed from battleroyalthemovie.com site)
IMO, to say that this movie is a phenom of the lastest reality show craze would be a wrong assumption. It's more a commentary on human nature and society (similar to Lord of the Flies) This movie has some very deep themes and commentaries on human nature, war and people. Kinji himself a byproduct of WWII reflects on his experiences and revelations during war time Japan.
Definately, a must see! Great movie. Be warned - it is pretty violent and disturbing.
One of the best movies I've seen in a long time is Battle Royale. Directed by FUKASAKU Kinji - considered one of Japan's premier action directors -this movie is, for the lack of a better term, INCREDIBLE. Beat Takeshi is also in this film!!!
It's pretty gory and bloody, but EXTREMELY well directed and very clever. The dark humor contributes to a very unique film.
(synopsis borrowed from battleroyalethemovie.com)
Long synopsis At dawn of the new millennium, the country is in a state of collapse.
Unemployment stands at 15% with millions out of work. School violence is out of control and rebellious teenagers stage mass boycotts. The beleaguered government retaliates with Battle Royale.... Each year a randomly chosen class is pitted against itself on an abandoned island in a cruel game of survival.
A boisterous group of 9th graders embarks on a school trip. A typical group of adolescents, they flirt, tease, bully and joke on the bus journey to their destination. Nanahara Shuya, shares cookies with his friends Nobu and Noriko on the way. On arrival, they awake from a drug-induced sleep, to find that they have been hijacked to fight this year's Battle Royale.
A former teacher, Kitano (Beat Takeshi), will oversee the battle. Flanked by gun-toting soldiers, Kitano explains that each student has been fitted with a necklace that monitors their location. It can also explode on command. He casually murders Nobu to make the point.
The rules of this game are simple:
? It lasts three days
? Each player starts out with food, water and a "weapon"
? If more than one player survives, everyone dies
? There is no escape
As the roll call begins, one by one the kids grab backpacks and stumble away towards death or murder. As Noriko picks up her pack, Nanahara quietly urges her to wait for him. When they meet outside they barely have time to compare weapons before a classmate falls on them with a hatchet. In the struggle that follows, Nanahara inadvertently kills the boy. Confused and angry, Nanahara vows to protect Noriko, and to outwit his government's sick experiment by finding a way to survive with his friends.
As the game progresses, terror and panic challenge the students' fragile trust in each other. Some suspect everyone, blindly striking down those who cross their paths. Others form alliances dreaming of a peaceful solution with multiple survivors. Against a tapestry of violence, hope and fear, Nanahara and Noriko begin to fall in love. Despite the game's brutality, the adolescent players maintain their school obsessions with crushes, petty grudges and their dreams. But as the game approaches its shocking final stages, even this semblance of normality disintegrates. (borrowed from battleroyalthemovie.com site)
IMO, to say that this movie is a phenom of the lastest reality show craze would be a wrong assumption. It's more a commentary on human nature and society (similar to Lord of the Flies) This movie has some very deep themes and commentaries on human nature, war and people. Kinji himself a byproduct of WWII reflects on his experiences and revelations during war time Japan.
Definately, a must see! Great movie. Be warned - it is pretty violent and disturbing.
