BATTLE ROYALE
		Review by: Donnie Cock
		http://www.battleroyalethemovie.com/
		Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
		Written by Kenta Fukasaku and Koshun Takami (based on his novel)

I first heard of this movie from a friend living in New York. He called me up one day and said that he had seen this new Japanese flick and that he couldn¹t really tell if it was a comedy or drama. The vauge description sounded tempting. As luck would have it, the film wasn¹t playing anywhere near me. I scoured the internet only to find a japanese home page with a trailer. After watching, it became evident that I must find this film. http://www.battleroyalethemovie.com/trailer.htm#

Everything takes place in Japan, sometime in the near future. Unemployment is on the rise and the youth are rebelling. To somehow punish students for their exuberant activity the government has enacted the BR act. This act is kind of like the lotto. One lucky high school class gets chosen to participate in an island adventure. On this island each student is given a weapon and a some living necessities, like food. Their orders are to kill or be killed. They have three days to totally annihilate each other. If there is more than one person after three days then everyone dies. If one person lives through it all then he or she goes on to tell the tale. There is alot more to it than this. I just don't want to give everything away.

So yeah, I eventually got my hands on a copy. I¹ve decided the whole thing is a cross between Lord of the Flies, Running man, and one of those Friday the Thirteenth movies.

The students scurry off to inhabit the island. They form alliances, commit suicide, and kill each other. Given their situation, these are feasible options. The relationships these kids have with each other either get stronger or fall to pieces. We see boyfriends girlfriends, and best friends test the limits of their relationships. I want to go ahead and give the writers and director thumbs up for creativity. Never in my days have I thought of the terrible ways to die which they chose for a majority of the cast.

What¹s also amazing about this film is how realistic it is. The students really look like real high school students. I¹m not really sure if it is customary in asian cinema to cast twenty and thirty year olds as teenagers. I have to give the casting director major kudos on finding what looks to be a cast all under the age of twenty portraying students. Only one word can describe this quality "Good Cinema!"

I have almost forgotten to mention BEAT Takeshi otherwise known as Takeshi Kitano. He plays what seems to be the schools principal and or headmaster. This guy is an amazing actor. One could write dissertations on his existence as a performer. Although this outburst on Kitano seems slightly pointless I only mention him because I am thinking we will be seeing much more of him on american soil. He is one of the biggest actors in Japan right now. A film he wrote, directed, and starred in called Brother just came out on video and DVD. So go fucking rent it. I don't want to spoil Battle Royale by saying too much. I have decided though that I don't mind telling you that alot of people die. I should also mention that there is some kind of protagonist who tries to beat the system. Does good always triumph over evil? I wonder what happens?

Anyway, as an American watching this film I find it absurd and well... humorous. It was a pretty successful movie in Japan and before that, a successful novel. In my heart I want to believe that it¹s popularity isn't exactly for it¹s hyper-violence. I kind of want it to be a social satire. I have to admit that I have a very limited education when it comes to Japanese society. I don't know what philosophical, social, and or cultural implications Battle Royale Mirrors, if any. All I do know is that the movie puts people in pretty fucked up scenarios and and for that reason becomes kind of funny.

I don't see a wide release in the states. It only ran on very limited engagements in theaters across the country. I think after seeing escalation in teen-violence this film has become a no-no to distributors. I am sure the video and dvd will be released someday if not soon. I have seen a couple of video stores that have stocked import copies and I know you can order VCD's from the foreign markets. It is available if you want to put some e for effort into it.

In the end, the movie didn¹t change my life. It was good but not something I will want to watch over and over again. It's almost like a novelty. This may sound negative, I don't mean it that way. I recommend the movie. It's one of those fucked up, somewhat obscure things you can name drop. Everyone will think your a bad-ass and all the females will give you hummers. I suggest people go out and rent it or see it or something.