Released in Japan more than a decade ago, Battle Royale unsurprisingly developed a rather notorious reputation. Based on a manga of the same name, Battle Royale tells a tale of a near future in which juvenile crime is growing out of control, so as a deterrent, the Japanese government passes a law that one middle school class each year will be sequestered on an uninhabited island and the class members will have to fight one another to the death until only one is left. Battle Royale touches upon a number of social issues satirically, from modern youth culture that no longer respects its elders and society in general, to the idea that violence prevents more violence, but, while Battle Royale isn't without it's strong points, the film is a bit overrated by those who worship at it's altar, from my point of view.
Battle Royale introduces us to Class B, students who are released onto the island with a bag of supplies, a weapon, and have an explosive collar affixed to their neck. Throughout the three days of the contest, various locations on the island are identified as danger zones, and if you are in a zone during a particular time, the collar will explode. If more than one person is left alive at the end of the three days, all the remaining collars will explode, killing all surviving students. The narrative eventually focuses on four main characters, Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara), Noriko (Aki Maeda), the girl whom Shuya has feelings for, Shogo (Taro Yamamoto),a "transfer" student who has survived Battle Royale once before at a grave personal cost, and Kitano (Takeshi Kitano) their former teacher who is now overseeing the game. Shuya, Noriko and Shogo form an alliance to try and escape the island, while other classmates alternate between forming similar partnerships or engaging in the bloodthirsty slaughter of everyone who stands between them and victory. Of particular threat is another "transfer", Kazuo Kiriyama (Masanobu Ando), who had volunteered to participate due to his predilection for murder, which he carries out with reckless abandon on any who cross his path.
Whatever you may or may not think of the quality of the production, Battle Royale is sure to cause some significant debate as to its moral and ethical qualities. The very premise, schoolchildren forced to brutally kill one another until only one is left standing, certainly will raise emotions in some viewers, without a doubt. Whenever violence involving children is dealt with, the stakes of a film are raised automatically, and much of the controversy over Battle Royale in the last decade is due to this basic idea. While the twist of focusing on children is a new direction for this type of material, the basic concept is hardly original. In literature, from The Most Dangerous Game to The Running Man, in film from Rollerball to Death Race 2000 and beyond, humans pitted against one another for reasons of sport and entertainment to social control, as in this film, has been addressed before. By involving children, Battle Royale does put a different spin on it. These adolescents are dealing with not only the shock that their guardians, adults, would put them in this position, but also their changing emotions, dealing with the emergence of romantic love and standard torment of childhood bullying, which plays a significant role in the story. Some of these characters are transferring their normal reactions to the events of their teen years to a battleground in which the stakes no longer are hurt feelings or scorned lovers, but the end of a human life.
While the ideas of Battle Royale's premise are intriguing, the film is hampered by its style at times. Director Kinji Fukasaku stages much of the film like a live action version of a Japanese anime. The various characters often overact to the hilt, and the over-the-top, hyper- melodramatic nature of anime is constantly on display. The various actors gasp, giggle, and react to violence with bug-eyed stares. It is difficult to believe that these choices weren't intentional, I wonder if Fukasaku elected to approach such horrific material this way to take a degree of edge off the proceedings. The film also suffers from the fact that with in excess of 40 students at the start, most of the them will not be given much development at all. The early deaths lack emotional punch because the people being killed don't mean anything to us. The film's primary villain, Kazuo, is also all style and visual menace. While he has a palpable threat to him, he represents death largely from a symbolic nature, not one of character identification. Kazuo exists to serve as a plot device, an effective one at times, but a plot device nonetheless.
As the film moves along, the core group of Shuya, Noriko and Shogo come to the forefront, and as the story balances between them and a few key antagonists, the emotional resonance of the film becomes stronger. Kitano also is revealed to be less of a villain than a man who still holds out some degree of hope for a few of his former students, torn between his affection for them and his seeming belief that the Battle Royale act is a necessary one. While no one will mistake Battle Royale for a character drama, as the character count reduces and we can focus in on the main players, the film is stronger.
Battle Royale is certainly worthy of it's notorious place in recent film history, you can't play with these kind of ideas without pushing some buttons, and while I would hardly describe it as a despicable piece of cinematic filth, I don't think I would side with those who have proclaimed it a masterpiece. The reality, as so often, is somewhere in between, but nevertheless, as with anything, the buyer must beware when it comes to entering into the world of Battle Royale. You might get more than you bargained for.
Battle Royale introduces us to Class B, students who are released onto the island with a bag of supplies, a weapon, and have an explosive collar affixed to their neck. Throughout the three days of the contest, various locations on the island are identified as danger zones, and if you are in a zone during a particular time, the collar will explode. If more than one person is left alive at the end of the three days, all the remaining collars will explode, killing all surviving students. The narrative eventually focuses on four main characters, Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara), Noriko (Aki Maeda), the girl whom Shuya has feelings for, Shogo (Taro Yamamoto),a "transfer" student who has survived Battle Royale once before at a grave personal cost, and Kitano (Takeshi Kitano) their former teacher who is now overseeing the game. Shuya, Noriko and Shogo form an alliance to try and escape the island, while other classmates alternate between forming similar partnerships or engaging in the bloodthirsty slaughter of everyone who stands between them and victory. Of particular threat is another "transfer", Kazuo Kiriyama (Masanobu Ando), who had volunteered to participate due to his predilection for murder, which he carries out with reckless abandon on any who cross his path.
Whatever you may or may not think of the quality of the production, Battle Royale is sure to cause some significant debate as to its moral and ethical qualities. The very premise, schoolchildren forced to brutally kill one another until only one is left standing, certainly will raise emotions in some viewers, without a doubt. Whenever violence involving children is dealt with, the stakes of a film are raised automatically, and much of the controversy over Battle Royale in the last decade is due to this basic idea. While the twist of focusing on children is a new direction for this type of material, the basic concept is hardly original. In literature, from The Most Dangerous Game to The Running Man, in film from Rollerball to Death Race 2000 and beyond, humans pitted against one another for reasons of sport and entertainment to social control, as in this film, has been addressed before. By involving children, Battle Royale does put a different spin on it. These adolescents are dealing with not only the shock that their guardians, adults, would put them in this position, but also their changing emotions, dealing with the emergence of romantic love and standard torment of childhood bullying, which plays a significant role in the story. Some of these characters are transferring their normal reactions to the events of their teen years to a battleground in which the stakes no longer are hurt feelings or scorned lovers, but the end of a human life.
While the ideas of Battle Royale's premise are intriguing, the film is hampered by its style at times. Director Kinji Fukasaku stages much of the film like a live action version of a Japanese anime. The various characters often overact to the hilt, and the over-the-top, hyper- melodramatic nature of anime is constantly on display. The various actors gasp, giggle, and react to violence with bug-eyed stares. It is difficult to believe that these choices weren't intentional, I wonder if Fukasaku elected to approach such horrific material this way to take a degree of edge off the proceedings. The film also suffers from the fact that with in excess of 40 students at the start, most of the them will not be given much development at all. The early deaths lack emotional punch because the people being killed don't mean anything to us. The film's primary villain, Kazuo, is also all style and visual menace. While he has a palpable threat to him, he represents death largely from a symbolic nature, not one of character identification. Kazuo exists to serve as a plot device, an effective one at times, but a plot device nonetheless.
As the film moves along, the core group of Shuya, Noriko and Shogo come to the forefront, and as the story balances between them and a few key antagonists, the emotional resonance of the film becomes stronger. Kitano also is revealed to be less of a villain than a man who still holds out some degree of hope for a few of his former students, torn between his affection for them and his seeming belief that the Battle Royale act is a necessary one. While no one will mistake Battle Royale for a character drama, as the character count reduces and we can focus in on the main players, the film is stronger.
Battle Royale is certainly worthy of it's notorious place in recent film history, you can't play with these kind of ideas without pushing some buttons, and while I would hardly describe it as a despicable piece of cinematic filth, I don't think I would side with those who have proclaimed it a masterpiece. The reality, as so often, is somewhere in between, but nevertheless, as with anything, the buyer must beware when it comes to entering into the world of Battle Royale. You might get more than you bargained for.