Super Cool (Battle Royale (DVD))

Member Name: derpigeon

Product:	Battle Royale (DVD)
Date:	17/02/06 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Funny, Beautifully shot and scored, very well performed

Disadvantages: Violent

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku and based on the book by Koushon Takami this is from start to finish a remarkable visceral adventure through the Japanese psyche. It is one of the rare examples of the movie outdoing the book due in large part to Fukasaku, director of Tora!Tora!Tora, whose sense of drama leads to several of the most emotional scenes being filmed from long distance forcing the audience to acknowledge the entirety of the situation the characters find themselves in. The plot is simple, a class of 30 schoolchildren, fifteen and sixteen year olds, are taken to a deserted island and told that they are to fight to the death. Each child is given a survival pack containing food, water and a weapon. If there is no winner within three days then everyone dies. The children are then sent off one at a time into the island. When I first heard about the film I was a little dubious as some Japanese movies can be hard to identify with, however it was no more than five minutes into the movie when I realised what was going on: this film isn't a violent gore fest, but an action/comedy, along the lines of 'Evil Dead 2'. The violence is carried of against a classical score and the laughs are everywhere. Takeshi Kitano, one of Japans most famous exports, plays the class' former teacher and is now directing the game. He plays his role straight down the line to remarkably powerful comic effect. His presence throughout the movie is intensely powerful and he really does steal the show. The thirty children involved are literally that, taken as a class from a local high school many of the actors and actresses couldn't actually see the finished film because they were too young. Compare this with the thirty somethings in beverly hills 90210 and you'll realise how novel and refreshing an approach it is, adding much to the drama. The movie is beautifully shot, the austere beauty of the deserted island masterfully juxtaposed with the savagery that's carried out on it. The movie is often compared to 'Lord of the Flies' this is missing the point though to some extent as while children are indeed killing each other on an island it is the insecurities of the older generation that is forcing the action. Thematically the movie has a lot to offer, not least by asking the audience what they would do in a similar situation. Bullies are preyed upon by stronger bullies, lovers enact tragic suicide pacts and nerds snap under the pressure. The movie is full of memorable one liners and the pace never lets up. Battle Royale truly is one of the most remarkable stories committed to celluloid and I strongly suggest you watch it and see if you can stop giggling from start to finish, I know I can't.

Summary: In my twisted opinion the best film ever made