I'm quite the fan of world cinema and Battle Royale was recommended to me by numerous friends - and as it was only £5.00 in HMV a little while ago, I thought I'd give it a try. This isn't the first time I have watched it but I made a short-list of films that I love (which will all be watched and reviewed on here I would imagine).How to summarise Battle Royale in a few sentences......
Well, for a start, its BRUTAL.
42 students are taken to a deserted island and given three days to fight to the death until only one is left standing. If more than one student is left remaining at the end of the three days, they all die. The "Battle Royale" was brought into legislation by the government to try and put an end to the delinquent behaviour of the youth.
Class B - The lucky bunch of fresh-faced ninth graders are taken on a bus ride, gassed and carted into a facility where the rules of the Battle Royale are explained to them. The first two deaths take place in that very room at the hands of the Teacher who is trying to teach the children a valuable lesson...that the Battle Royale is not something which should be taken lightly.
One-by-one, the students are handed a bag which contains simple food rations and a random weapon (anything from a rather useless paper fan to some rather heavy artillery) and sent out onto the island where the games begin.
Some of the students instantly take to the game turning into ruthless, blood-hungry murderers in the blink of n eye while some decide that they want to try to get off the island without resorting to violence.
The first thing I would say when watching Battle Royale is that if you have seen "The Hunger Games" it is almost impossible not to draw comparisons between the two films. Both deal with pretty much the same subject matter. But what I like bout Battle Royale is that it is more believable.
There is no fantasy world and the focus is not put on the people outside the games watching and placing bets on who the victor will be.
The definite difference between "Battle Royale" and "The Hunger Games" is in the editing - the deaths are not made easier on the eye by placing them in a montage, they all feel very real and are at some moments, hard to watch.
(That said, I would like to add a side note that this is not a dig at "The Hunger Games" in any way - I enjoyed the book very much and there were plenty of things that the film got right.)
The students in Battle Royale receive no form of combat training and it is really interesting to watch the story unfold and to see how the director (Kinji Fukasaku) believes that a group of children would react if they were placed in such a situation, it a carries nuances of Golding's "Lord of the Flies" in as much as it is shocking to see how quickly a group of children can turn on each other when put in a situation which is out of their control.
It would also be easy when watching and reviewing this film to spend a lot of time contemplating the politics surrounding the storyline. However, the film is set in a alternate timeline where Japan has become and authoritarian state. As the timeline of the film is supposed to be alternative to the reality I try not to get too bogged down in the politics and like to think of it as a necessary part of the story arc.
Perhaps one of my favourite things about Battle Royale is the scoring, the opening sequence (Verdi's - Requiem Mass - Dies Irae) is so powerful that right from the offset you know that the film is going to pack a punch. The music is both dramatic and sombre in all the right places and helps to stir emotions inside that make you feel the tension of the piece as it is mounting to its conclusion.
The teacher (Kitano-Sensei) is by far my favourite character, he conveys the right amount of authority and anger without being overly sadistic. We also see his softer side when it becomes apparent that he has respect for Noriko and has been rooting for her to win the Battle Royale
Definitely a film I would recommend.
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