Film: Battle Royale
Release date: 28th February 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 109 mins
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Noriko Nakagawa, Tarô Yamamoto
Genre: Action/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Labelled as “crude and tasteless” by members of the Japanese parliament, a decade on, Battle Royale still proves popular with audiences the world over. Upon its release, the film was nominated for several Japanese Academy Awards, and in 2009, Quentin Tarantino spoke of it as being his favourite film of the last two decades. This 3-disc release from Arrow Video has a host of extras, and a glorious high definition restored transfer of both the theatrical and director’s cut.
Battle Royale opens with Japan at the dawn of the millennium. Unemployment is high and students boycott schools. Adults, fearing their nation's youth, pass the Millennium Educational Reform Act, otherwise known as the BR Act. The purposes of the BR Act quickly become apparent, when we are introduced to a class of students who are nearing the end of their compulsory education. Once a year, a class of students are sent to a secluded island to participate in a game, the Battle Royale, and these are this year's unlucky participants.
The BR Act is promptly explained to its unwitting participants, with the help of an educational video, featuring a morbidly upbeat presenter. Each student is tagged with an electronic necklace and instructed to kill their classmates over the course of the next three days. At the end of the three days, if more than one student remains, their necklaces will detonate, killing all who remain...
It's not difficult to see why Tarantino holds this film in such high regard. Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale takes its viewer on a rollercoaster ride, alternating between an extravagant blood bath one moment and a high school drama the next. Its ultra-violent scenes and rather sadistic premise lie at the heart of what has made this film such a success. But the rather elegant, if not extreme, scenes of violence are firmly supported by some terrific dark comedy.
Ultimately, Battle Royale features many of things we'd come to expect from a teenage high school drama. Just as in any high school, the film's characters can easily be characterised into 'geeks', 'outcasts' and 'superficial bitches'. The major difference being, these emotional, jealous and troublesome teenagers are thrown into a big-brother style arena and equipped with knives, tazers and guns.
Whilst most of the film follows the activities of the students over the course of the game, brief flashbacks offer insights into the background of each student. Whilst this isn't enough to form any meaningful, emotional attachment to any of the characters, it does help give the story a layer of depth, beyond all the mindless killing.
That's not to say the film is nothing more than a comic blood-fest. Battle Royale, through all its bloodshed, does make some rather striking comments on society. On one hand, it exposes the perverted nature of reality television, whilst on the other, it condemns society's attitude toward its youth. Admittedly, the film (unlike the book) is a little ambiguous when it comes to this latter theme.
What's more, through all the comic action sequences, the film's young cast give some truly excellent performances. With Battle Royale relying heavily on action sequences to drive forward its narrative and, in turn, bring each character to life, it is quite an achievement to see a cast, whose average age could not exceed 15, giving such exceptional performances.
Ever since its release, Battle Royale has been both celebrated and criticised for its graphic violence. Although, it's hard to see where there is much justification for criticism, as its violence is always humorous in nature. In many respects, Kenta Fukasaku's use of gratuitous violence is rather elegant, as well as humorous. One memorable scene depicts Kazuo Kiriyama, a true 'bad ass', as he fires a handgun at a girl, who also appears to lack any compassion for the students she kills. ‘Air auf der G-Saite’ plays as she stumbles backward with each successive shot. In any other context, and lacking the talented hand of Kenta Fukasaku, this film may well have been a rather morbid affair. But the director's keen eye for humour makes Battle Royale's violence something to applaud, rather than condemn.
Battle Royale is an extremely impressive film, acting as a true representation of Japanese cinema at its best. Kenta Fukasaku has created a film which rivals, if not exceeds the likes of Tarantino's Kill Bill. Unlike many other films that glorify violence, it retains a comic feel and considerable depth, making Battle Royale a truly stunning piece of Japanese cinema. ME
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