Review: Battle Royale

Based on a novel by Koshun Takami, this film is set in a near future Japan where school truancy and juvenile delinquency are at an all-time high. As a result, the Battle Royale Millennium Act has been introduced, and a busload of high school kids are about to find out exactly what that means. Knocked unconscious, they awaken on a remote island and greeted by the stoic Kitano (Takeshi Kitano, AKA Beat Takeshi), a former teacher who informs them that they are now participants in a Battle Royale. They will be forced to compete in a death sport, killing each other with assigned weapons (of varying usefulness) until one winner is left standing. If anyone doesn’t compete, a collar containing a bomb fitted around their necks, and remotely controlled, will explode. Every few hours, Kitano makes a radio broadcast informing the participant of the latest kills, usually accompanied by something sarcastic or derisive. And remember, it’s the government behind all of this.

 

Forget “The Hunger Games”, Japan’s Kinji Fukasaku (“The Green Slime”, “Battle Royale II”) knew how to do it right in 2000 with this violent, and in my opinion, frankly hilarious teen “Most Dangerous Game”. Scripted by Kenta Fukasaku (the director’s son), this is nasty, confronting, and damn entertaining in the sickest way possible. The Japanese certainly liked it, as it was a huge box-office success, which is kinda amazing given the violent material. We all know the stereotype of the studious Japanese child, and if you had a school system like the one in this film, you’d probably study your arse off too. I wonder if the character played by Takeshi Kitano (who we learn was the victim of an attack by a student) here is a kind of boogeyman for Japanese students who generally can’t be arsed doing their homework. The whole thing is just so messed up. It’s like, stay in school kids or lose your head!

 

I’m not sure if I’m just a sicko or not, but the sickly sweet camaraderie exhibited by the youngsters early in this film just makes the eventual bloody mayhem even funnier to me (Americans might find the material a bit too close to home, though and not see the funny side). But it’s when Kitano turns up that things really kick into gear. He’s like the hard-arse PE teacher turned sociopath. Or a regular PE teacher, depending on what your school experience was like. His dryly funny, yet completely soulless performance is brilliant. The dude is dead inside, and all the more frightening (and yet funny) for it. His final moment on screen is hysterically funny, too. However, it’s the promotional video Kitano shows the kids that is the most insane and insanely funny thing in the entire film.

 

But before long, the reality or at least gravity of the situation sinks in. Most of these kids are going to die. Horribly. At each others’ hands. For some reason, it seems to affect you more than a simple slasher movie would, perhaps because it’s the kids doing the killing as well as the dying. Yes, I found it funny in a sick way, but it’s also a bleak and pessimistic film after the initial good cheer. These kids are dying before voting age, for cryin’ out loud. Make no mistake, this ain’t no kids movie, folks. It’s not as ultra-violent as say, “Riki Oh”, but the inclusion of teenagers in all of this makes it pretty confronting. It’s not an easy watch, even for those with strong stomachs and a twisted sense of humour. The humour, by the way, extends to even the weapons used. I mean, some poor kids get the short end of the stick here, as suggested in the line ‘What’s this? I can’t fight with a pot lid!’. Personally, I think the kid who ends up with a taser isn’t exactly on Easy Street, either. Meanwhile, note to self: Never bring a crossbow to a knife fight.

 

The behaviour of these kids actually isn’t as unbelievable as it may first appear. You would have some who would sooner kill themselves than compete. Some will hopelessly cling to their friendships, thinking they can stick together. Others will be sociopaths in training who will have no problems killing people they don’t like. Throw in a nutjob teacher, some lax gun laws, and something like this could almost happen. Almost.

 

What I had more of a problem with was the character depth, or lack thereof. The film, at times, tries to engage in some schoolyard politics, but because none of the relationships between the characters is really well-developed, and the classroom hierarchy isn’t really conveyed, an opportunity is really lost. I know that the Japanese school system probably removes individuality and pushes conformity, but the interplay between students would definitely be played up more if this were the US or Australia. That said, if this were an American film, it’d be a neutered piece of crap, so perhaps one shouldn’t be greedy (<cough> “The Hunger Games” <cough>). It’s not that kind of film, it’s more visceral than character-based. The funny thing is, that whilst the characters are mostly indistinguishable, the one person in the film who did affect me emotionally, was a relative bit-player, seen only in flashbacks.

 

I also think that the numbers game just shouldn’t have worked in Kitano’s favour. You’ve got a bunch of armed students, yes some poorly armed, but you’d think at least they’d make an attempt to take the guy out at some point. Yes, he has helpers, but if you take out the head, there’s a chance the others would crumble. But no one really thinks about that, which is odd to me (There’d be no movie, however).

 

This isn’t a great film, and it will have seriously limited appeal. It is, however...something. Bold and really memorable stuff, no matter what you might think of it. And I still say Dodgeball is a more brutal and inhumane game than this, damn it. The excellent, over-the-top music score Masamichi Amano just added to my amusement. I’m sick, I know.

 

Rating: B-