Remember That Movie: Battle Royale

The novel is about a society where teenagers are forced to battle to the death. Fans, both young and old, need not wait any longer as one of the most anticipated film releases of the year dropped last week.

I am, of course, talking about the Blu-ray release of 2000’s Battle Royale.

Battle Royale, a film so intense the Blu-ray cautions viewer discretion before the film begins, is set in an alternate Japan where society was once on the verge of social and economic collapse. The nation’s youth responded to the failures of the adult world with violence, truancy, and unprecedented rebellion – and not the cool Star Wars variety. The government took drastic steps to restore order by creating the Millennial Reform School Act, a law that dictates several groups of 9th graders will be randomly selected to fight each other to the death on an isolated island in a game called Battle Royale. Only one is allowed to survive. The purpose: to humble the youth and deter any future rebellion through fear.

Nobody knows if they will be selected or grow up to become one of the lucky few who avoid the experience. The public is not privy to the details of the game as it happens and must wait anxiously to see who returns alive.

The story follows 44 students on a class trip. They all pass out on the bus and awake in a strange classroom with metal collars around their necks. Shortly, their former teacher Kitano (played with frightening intensity and casualness by Beat Kitano of Kikujiro and The Blind Swordsman) enters and informs the class they’ve been selected to play Battle Royale. Confusion quickly leads to horror and then obedience. They are shown a darkly upbeat instructional video that informs them those collars around their necks will explode if they: try to escape, attempt to remove the collar, are located in a forbidden zone, or are not the last one standing when time runs out.

Twenty minutes into the movie, a role call dismisses each student one-by-one, tossing a bag of survival gear (including water, food, and a random ‘weapon’) at them, the game has begun and we’re already given a body count as the classmates quickly begin dropping like flies.

Battle Royale is based on the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami, a former journalist. The film may not be as effective as the novel, which put the reader in the terrifying scenario and lead one to ask, ‘What would I do?’. However, the film does have a lot more to chew on than the mindless, stylized gore one might expect. Several character moments either look at the situation from a different angle or speak to one of the film’s themes. We may not get to know all 44 students very well, however, some do reveal themselves a bit to us – and not just before they die, which allows us to care about a handful and also fear the presence of a couple. We also are given a handful of flashbacks that feature family issues or ‘normal’ teenage moments, particularly with two main characters, Nanahara (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda). The film could have benefited from a couple more of these pertaining to key characters, but overall these flashbacks give a nice balance to the story’s horrific scenario.

While we do witness a couple confessed crushes, we also see these teenagers deal with the situation in a variety of ways. Some defiantly commit suicide, attempt an organized truce, form alliances, become suspicious of their closest friends, or think of every possible means of escape. This also helps prevent the film from becoming a thin one-note exercise in mindless violence.

So do the themes. Japanese cinema has a long history of speaking to tensions between generations old and new since World War II (in the book, the first game occurs in the ‘50s). The notion of survival can be attributed to the rigors of both the teenage years and the characters’ forthcoming adulthood. There are also other themes to be found regarding love, sacrifice, and respect. Director Kinji Fukasaku (Tora! Tora! Tora!) also said the film could be interpreted as either advice or a warning to the youth.

As for the violence, while at least half a dozen of the kills are far more brutal than a barrage of bullets, the violence is frequently presented in a matter-of-fact or sudden manner, adding to the reality of the situation. Save for one or two deaths, the audience won’t find themselves cheering over any particular kills.

Battle Royale was released in Japan in 2000 and received several award nominations by the Japanese Academy. It was released throughout Asia and Europe the following years, but didn't hit United States screens until 2011, however DVDs did make their way Stateside long before then through bootlegs, UK distributors, and Netflix. Fukasaku began work on a sequel, which his son completed after Kinji’s death; it is widely considered inferior to the original. Quentin Tarantino has come out as a huge fan of Battle Royale and cast one of the stars (Chiaki Kuriyama) as the villainous teenager Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill.

Of course, it’s impossible to avoid mention of The Hunger Games, a film based on a 2008 book about a society where teenagers are forced by the government to fight to the death. Author Suzanne Collins pleads ignorance of the Japanese phenomenon, citing influences as varied as Greek mythology and the war in Iraq. All I can say is the similarities between the two are uncanny. If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games, do yourself a favor and check out Battle Royale.

There is a Director’s Cut release on a bare-bones Blu-ray that frames the story within a basketball game. I recommend seeking out the Theatrical Cut.


8/10

Should You See It? Rent… or buy.


Battle Royale is now available on Blu-ray as single disc (Director’s Cut) and The Complete Collection, a 4-disc package with both cuts of the film, the sequel, and a disc of extra features.