Battle Royale (DVD)

...website, ShaunMunro.co.uk, and Dooyoo! Battle Royale, the adaptation of Koshun Takami's fabulous novel of the same name, is near enough controversy at 24 frames per second, unleashing a downbeat, counter-culture, subversive tone from its matter-of-fact opening, to its twist-filled end. Much furore has surrounded the fact that this film is still unreleased in America (contrary to the belief that the film was banned), most postulating that a film ...
...and Fukasaku's efforts here. Battle Royale opens by informing us that employment is at an all-time low in Japan, and truancy at an all-time high, so to combat this problem, every three years a class of school kids are randomly selected and taken to an island where they must fight to the death, with the victor granted safe passage home. We are soon enough greeted with an iconic image of the previous winner - a blood-soaked, smiling young girl holding ...

asdasta632 26.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...The 2000 Japanese film, Battle Royale, is a horror/thriller/action/social satire/Lord Of The Flies rip-off like none other you've seen before. It stars Count Takeshi from Takeshi's Castle (now that was a show and a half) and a bunch of Japanese teenagers, naturally (one of these is the girl who played the ball-and-chain spinning crazy schoolgirl in Kill Bill). The film is narrated by Shuya, a boy who grew up in care after his mother left and his ...
...a little disturbing. But Battle Royale isn't just an excuse for scenes of extreme violence; it also takes satirical swipes at the notions of school discipline and how to punish today's delinquent youth, and provides a blackly humorous version of reality TV. The film is quite ruthless in the way it counts down towards the game's finale - all the kids are assigned numbers and whenever somebody is killed, writing on the screen appears to say the number ...

l-m-n-o-p 16.12.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...chosen for the government’s new Battle Royale scheme, a bloodthirsty method of keeping unruly and disrespectful kids in check. The class are taken to a deserted island, given a backpack full of goodies each with a different weapon and told to wipe each other out; last man or woman standing gets to go home. As if things weren’t already bad enough for the poor little tykes, they also have to wear irremovable collars that will explode if they don’t ...
...them how to fight in Battle Royale with “gusto” and it is hilarious. This instructional tape makes light of the entire situation, a happy go lucky female explains with the enthusiasm of a blue peter presenter how they are basically all going to die on this island; it’s a master stroke. This use of comedy throughout the film makes all the killing and blood shed much easier to bear for the viewer, who wouldn’t laugh when one of the students finds out ...

Tommy 03.02.2004 (05.02.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

Battle Royale (2000) Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, Battle Royale tells of the story of a controversial future in Japan, whereby 9th Grade Classes are randomly selected to appear in a “Survival of the Fittest Game”. The film is based upon a novel by Koushun Takami. The purpose behind the BR Act was to stop the children rebelling against the adults, as schools were reporting crimes of extreme disobedience, and violence. The adults introduced the act ...
...way they do. During Battle Royale the scenes of graphic violence, and the inhumane portrayal of the adults in Japan may often shock you, but the film isn’t just about violence, it is also about a struggle for freedom, about friendships and about loyalty between companions. I found the acting in the film very good, and felt each person filled their role well, showing enough passion or hatred to make it more realistic. Throughout the film you often ...

Anarchy182 19.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...To give us some battle tips steve told me to buy Battle Royale on dvd, being from the far east he was aware of the work of 'BEAT' Takeshi (some japanese actor) and had heard good stuff about it, i had been aware of a little bit of uproar when it came out at the cinema over here and had wanted to see it but my local only played it about twice before playing some pap about aa animated fish or something. We whacked it in and enjoyed. Battle royale ...
...Kawada, an ex contestant on battle royale who won it a few years back. He has taken part to find out the meaning behind the game after his girlfriend was killed, by him, in the final moments of the game. The three days of carnage is played out brilliantly with some excellent moments of violence throughout (a sequence in a lighthouse with a group of girls and a misunderstanding over poison is brilliant) some of them set to classical music which gives ...

pablodiabloescobar 07.05.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

This film is in parts very gorry, thats not to say the violence is over the top considering the plot, just the it is seen rather than infered. I am not adverse to gore but at the same time that was not my intention for watching it. I had heard alot about this film, much of it to do with the violence but i was intrigued to view it for myself. The plot revolves around a class of school children, in not to distant future Tokyo. It is a time where not ...
...is out of control, respect for there elders is non existent. Teachers are dictated and atacked in schools. To resolve this the government passes the BR act, which consists of a class of children choosen at random each year to be taken to an island, fitted with collars which can explode and told to kill each other, all under the watchful eye of a former teacher with problems of his own. The last one remaining gets to leave the island, if there is ...

neilcarhart 14.04.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

I am in my first year of a Japanese and Business Studies BA (Hons). My friends and I have watched a number of Japanese films over the year to help us with understanding the people a little more and of course practising our language skills. There is no way we can keep up with the film, but it is nice to pick up on certain snippets and plot points. The basic story is that the Japanese youth have spiralled out of control. In a bid to keep order, the ...
...of one highschool class have to kill each other until only the victor remains. Although the film starts with the "hero's welcome" of the previous year's winner, the scene is really set when the chosen class are drugged and awake to find themselves in another classroom, surrounded by military and with bands around their necks. Beat Takeshi, as a teacher, enters to explain - they are on a remote island and the only way off is to kill all the other ...

fujisan_uk 30.05.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

Battle Royale | Batoru rowaiaru (2000) ** Cast ** Tatsuya Fujiwara - Shuya Nanahara - Boys #15 Aki Maeda - Noriko Nakagawa - Girls #15 Taro Yamamoto - Shogo Kawada - Boys #5 Sousuke Takaoka - Hiroki Sugimura - Boys #11 Chiaki Kuriyama - Takako Chigusa - Girls #13 Takashi Tsukamoto - Shinji Mimura - Boys #19 Kou Shibasaki - Mitsuko Souma - Girls #11 Masanobu Ando - Kazuo Kiriyama - Boys #6 Takeshi Kitano - Kitano (as Beat Takeshi) ** Directed by ...
...novel by Koushun Takami, Battle Royale describes the fight to the death within a group of classmates. Shiroiwa Junior High School's class 3-B, a group of 9th graders, has been chosen as the year's 'Program' participants, and they are made to kill each other on an island. Additional features in this 'experimental game' are collars around their neck to monitor their position and forbidden zones (in these areas, their collars will explode). Shuya Nanahara ...

immortal_pheebs 26.07.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...drastic solution, they pass the Battle Royale law. One high school class is chosen by an impartial lottery to be shipped off to an island where they have to fight to the death leaving only one survivor. This will show that the people of Japan will no longer take lightly the tide of growing juvenile law-breaking. The film follows one such class who have been chosen to participate in the latest Battle Royale. They were told they were going on an end-of-year ...
...between the pupils as they battle their incomprehension at their predicament and then when the battle starts their strategies of survival when it becomes clear that any dissent towards the whole scheme is punished. This is where the film scores highly as the viewer comes to see each classmate as an individual with motives, memories, wishes, hopes and fears unique to themselves. Some of the class resort to confrontation and killing without mercy ...

blinderben 22.11.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...the most extreme way with Battle Royale. Each year a class is chosen at random and is pitted against its self on an abandoned island in a cruel and terrifying game of survival that lasts for three days. Only one student may survive. Thus begins the one of the most violent, gruesome, and explicitly shocking movies in Australian theatres. Having been mostly raised on western cinema with very little Japanese influence, appreciating the context and ...
...conclusion. Still, the issues and themes cross the cultural boundary: loyalty, betrayal, love, hate, hope, fear, revenge. Could you kill your best friend? ‘Yes’ is the answer here. As an experience, it’s gut-wrenching: a system pushed to its limits resorting to an extreme measure of control; empathising with the 42 students, their situation and decisions; the initial apathy of fellow classmates; groups of friends torn apart. The story leads the ...

paulgusta 19.04.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...chosen to take part in Battle Royale. The lucky class are drugged, taken to an island and shown a cute introductory video which tells them that the only person who will be allowed to leave the island alive is the last person standing. Naturally, the kids are not too happy about this. But they don't get a choice thanks to the exploding strip strapped to their necks. Each is given a weapon and sent out on to the island. Cue gore, tension and alot ...
...won't be dissappointed by this film. Extremely well paced, the kids gradually pick each other off through a variety of gory and shocking methods. Leave it to the Japaneise to depict school kids gunning each other down in cold blood. Not that I am complaining, it all looks like good wholesome fun from here! As the film progresses it becomes a kind of gory big-brother, as you get to know the characters, and start speculating over which will be the ...

jammy_mint 09.03.2002 (11.03.2002) · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...told they're taking part in Battle Royale, a sick invention that basically is last man standing. Each student is given a pack of stuff, including a weapon, and sent out onto an island. The overall storyline shows how each of the pupils dies, some of the deaths are very gory, but hell, its worth it.. There are 2 people who go onto the island who were not from the class, however. One is a psychotic blonde haired cool lookin guy who goes onto the island ...
...the winner of a previous Battle Royale, who got kidnapped and taken there. He is the guy who helps these two kids who are in love to almost survive the island. Overall, the storyline is just littered with violence, and, being subtitled only, makes for quite difficult viewing. There is a tactic to watching this movie, first time through, take little notice of the subtitles, focus on whats going on on-screen, the second time round, read the subtitles, ...

ember_666 06.08.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...The BR Act is Battle Royale, an annual game in which a randomly selected low- performing class of students are, unkown to them, smuggled to an evacuated island, after being told they were going on a class trip. However, this is not exactly a trip you'd want to be part of. In this film, a mixed class of 42 teenagers wake up in a strange classroom, after being drugged with gases, causing them to fall asleep, whilst strange, unremovable necklaces are ...
...campaign against having to play Battle Royale, and use their loudspeaker to ask everyone to come and join them. They are soon violently shot by Kiriyama, and hope drains away for those watching- you won't get anywhere by trying to all stick together, as people's loyalties are being tested. What I thought Of It This movie, despite the bloody bits, is actually very interesting. I found it quite creepy, but very orginal and absorbing. The actors, ...

happy_kitty 20.06.2004 (21.06.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

...chosen to take part in Battle Royale, they have no choice in whether they take part or not. The class are put on an island and each child is given a backpack, they are all different and each one contains a different weapon. The idea of the game is to kill each other, the person left at the end wins. If there’s more than one person left at the end they get their heads blown off by a device around their neck. There are two main characters in the film ...
...girl and a boy anyway. These two are best friends and obviously don’t want to kill each other. These two end up with tremendous weapons including a dustbin lid. Personally I think the handgun was better but at least you won’t run out of ammunition for you bin lid. Some of the kids get really into the game and do go around killing everyone. Every few hours everyone on the island is given an update on who is dead and we watch it as you would a normal ...

annette_tr9 15.02.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)

It's sheer brilliance. I've seen the film 7 times now and it just gets better each time. I see more and more every time I watch it, spotting different things I hadn't seen before. 1stly don't think of this as a foreign language film with English Subtitles. It surpasses the fact that you have subtitles to read to follow the plot. That becomes a natural part of your movie experience. I think some of the English translations are a little weird so the ...
...don't always make sense. The film is about a world in the near future where school children have decided anarchy is their weapon against the world of adults. The adults pass a law that allows them to choose 1 class every year to fight against each other until 1 child stands alive. The winner is allowed to live, if there is no winner within the 3 day time limit then the players are killed by the necklaces they wear which are filled with explosives. ...

atytyut2434 28.07.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Battle Royale (DVD)