Battle Royale

A Rollercoaster ride of violence, emotions and a subject matter that leaves you questioning everything you thought was correct in the world. A true cult classic that should be watched at least once.

A

It's about friendship. And that's what's so important about it.

Let me be blunt: this is not considered an "intellectual" film. Nonetheless, this is one of the most riveting films I have seen in ages. As you know, this film has been banned in multiple countries and is not well-appreciated in its own. It breaks some pretty serious taboos . . . namely, young fresh-faced children hacking each other to bits:) Of course, the idea that the government has locked exploding collars around their tender necks is a horrific bonus!!Takeshi Kitano is FANTASTIC as the school teacher with an innocent yet disturbing crush on one of his pupils and an obsession with her baked goods (Ohhh, and wait until you see his painting!!)Likewise, the characters of Shuya and Noriko are spectacular in their roles. They bring likability to what should be an "unlikeable" film. Nonetheless, Kazuo Kiriyama and Mitsuko Souma easily steal the show! Kazuo volunteers to be in this massacre (apparently for the thrill)!! He has the looks of Johnny Depp matched with the endurance of Jason Vorhees (forgive the comparison!!) Meanwhile, Mitsuko presents us with the most complex character in the film: as a victim of (potential) sexual abuse and an uncaring mother, Mitsuko has learned not to trust anyone. Moreover, she has learned to use her sexuality to get through life (it's interesting to see how this aspect figures into combat).What may surprise you is how FUNNY (intentionally) this film is!!! The training video alone will have you in stitches (The adorable host makes exploding heads sound like a Saturday morning cartoon "BOOM!")!! TRUST ME - FUNNY STUFF!!!To be perfectly honest, I dread the American remake (slated for 2008 by NEW LINE). Part of the appeal is that this film is verboten!! NEW LINE, I am quite certain, will be content will an "R" rating for theaters . . . and that will be a shame. Additionally, the Japanese version has insanely BAD and AWKWARD translation which only heightens its amusing qualities.No, Battle Royale doesn't have the INSANE gore of Ichi the Killer, but it is faster-paced, has a simpler story-line, and in a way, is more shocking.You'll either love it or hate it . . . me, I LOVE IT!!! I show it to my students EVERY semester!!!This film receives FIVE stars for its innovative, no-holds-barred approach!!Suggested Reading: Williams, Tony. "Case Study: Battle Royale's Apocalyptic Millennial Warning." Japanese Horror Cinema. Ed. Jay McRoy. Honolulu: U Hawaii P, 2005. 130-143.

Thematically, the three movies deal with normal social order breaking down under different types of pressures. In LOTF, the catalyst was an air crash leaving prep school boys to fend for themselves on an island. Two camps emerged ... one responsible and one hedonistic. The clashes were inevitable. Prior normal rivalries, became exaggerated by a need to survive and a need to lead at all costs.Hunger Games' catalyst was from outside not within. The abnormal social dynamic was a created organized event in a dystopian society. The participants knew in advance what the challenges would be. There was no previous tight social group among the participants. That had to be created on the run literally. Since this was a fight to the death, any social connections made were temporary, loose, and designed for personal survial not any need for restoring a social order.Battle Royale preceded Hunger Games by 6 years. Unlike the other two movies based on books, BR was an original screenplay. Culturally, it had some slight differences due to the Japanese inherent focus on a social order based on uniformity and conformity. Oddly, BR is the most over the top of the three movies approaching a B class guilty pleasure movie.The classic social breakdown here is again from the outside. A law is passed which requires picking a specific class in a specific school to have a fight to the death in an unknown setting. But the catalytic breakdown itself is more like LOTF since there was an existing but seriously dysfunctional social order within the class. Not surprising. The BR law was the result of Japanese society rejecting growing violence among their young.BR moves fast and the confrontations are more graphic. However, it has the feel of an anime' film in the level of stereotypical characters and the style of action. I enjoyed this film not as a classic statement on anarchic societies but as a guilty pleasure movie.If you want a more serious film, watch LOTF, the original not the disappointing remake. I found the Hunger Games the Twilight version of social breakdown movies. Well crafted but just nothing that feels compelling for me to watch with interest. Too syrupy.I'd recommend BR not that it is a great movie in the artiste sense but as that better than average action movie with some irony and more interesting characters albeit barely developed characters since the kills come fast. It is noted that this is a top ten film in Japan and received great notoriety there when it opened. While social conformity is important the idea of middle schoolers being chosen to kill each other off to somehow reduce violence levels among the worst school kids is particulalry offensive to their culture. I find that view a bit dated. In reality, their biggest problem is not enough younger people in a very aging population. More young not less is a goal. But so is a wish to retain the traditional respect for order, appreciation of their culture, education, and respect for elders. Possibly the shock was not so much about violent young as it was dealing with conflicting generational views between yound and old.

Tarantino amo está película y escogió a go go de kill Bill de aqui.

Teaching them to defend themselves in a warDavid said thank you amazon from David much appreciate it to amazon from David

Edita: M6 Video (2021, Francia)Edición limitada y numerada 20 Aniversario de BATTLE ROYALE 6 discos que incluye:* Battle Royal (versión cine) en 4K y Blu-ray (114 min.)* Battle Royale (versión extendida) en 4K y Blu-ray (122 min.)* Battle Royale 2: Requiem (versión cine) en Blu-ray (133 min.)* Battle Royale 2: Revenge (versión extendida de Requiem) en Blu-ray (151 min.)* Libreto de 32 páginas (francés)* Lámina exclusiva de Marc AspinallIdiomas: Japonés y FrancésSubtítulos: FrancésPreciosa edición para coleccionar aunque si eres hispanohablante ten presente que no hay opciones de audio o subtítulos en castellano, pues es edición francesa.

Arrow video è sinonimo di qualità assoluta, edizione che merita di essere acquistata nonostante il prezzo possa sfiduciare. Cofanetto molto bello e curato in cartone rigido, ogni disco è contenuto in un elegantissimo digipack. L'edizione contiene 1) cd con la colonna sonora del film2) Battle royale versione cinematografica3) Battle royale versione director's cut4) Battle royale requiem 2 ( versione cinematografica)5) Battle royale revenge ( director's cut)6) Due mazzetti di carte da collezione7) libricino in copertina rigida molto interessanteLavoro della Arrow video impressionante, qualità dell'immagine e dell'audio altissima, ricchi contenuti speciali. Solita scelta di inserire solo l'audio originale e i sub inglesi, per cui dovrete accontentarvi.Battle royale è ha influenzato tutta la cinematografia di genere, un caposaldo del cinema asiatico.

Étant une fan de ce film, j’avais en peux peur de retrouver les défauts du dvd : un voile qui rendait une image floue et un son sourd et en retrait. Eh non!Pour le 4K le HDR apporte en plus côté colorimétrie et scène sombre et de nuit! VO et VF en 5.1 DTS HD MA image et son au top!Pour le blu-ray il à aussi eu ça cure de jouvenceImage restaurée et son identique au 4K : VO et VF en 5.1 DTS HD MAUn son très bien réparti sur les divers enceintes et une belle image. Bien sûr faut pas s’attendre à un film 4K de même qualité que ceux qui sont récents mais pour un film de 2000 il est très bien restauréTest: sur un système 6.1 avec un projecteur Sony, lecteur Blu-ray 4K Panasonic DP-UB9000 et un écran de 2m40 de base.