Saturday, 14 May 2011

Battle Royale (2000) With Trailer

What would you do if you had to kill your best friend? Could you do it? What about someone you didn't care about? Someone random? Someone you come into close contact with everyday, work college, school friends, family members?....well here's a film where a class of school kids are pitted against one with the purpose to kill and be the last pupil standing. If they refuse, a brace fitted to their neck will self destruct and kill them. Only one can be crowned the "winner".


Set in the an alternative future where unemployment is rife and the youth have become rebellious, adults of the world see an alternative, the Battle Royale Act. A combination of reality tv and a government legislation where if the young do not behave, they will become the latest "contestants" in this brutal, hyper stylized and ultra violent game show. It's kill or be killed with only 3 days to compete!


A class of 42 are drugged on their way to school and are bought onto a deserted and isolated island where they are told the rules of the game and set the target for survival. In the frame is their teacher (played in his usual straight faced, deadpan manner Beat Takeshi) who oversees their progress. Each one of them is given a randomly selected backpack which may include weapons ranging from guns, knives and crossbows to non weapons like binoculars, saucepan lid and megaphone. Added to the mix are two "volunteers" who are experienced contestants and are doing it for fun.

Beyond and behind the multitude of executions and flashes of dark humour lies a satirical and social message of the loss of innocence and the step into adulthood, where life in the workplace can be a cruel and cutthroat environment. It's a metaphor for what life can be like although exaggerated in very extreme way.


With 42 characters to focus on you may feel that the development may be hampered as there is only so much time one can remember who is who and what purpose they have in driving the film forward plotwise. Some are just on-screen to die a quick bloody death, whereas some we follow on a journey of  mayhem leaving a trail of bodies. A few rise to the challenge whilst some others resist and try to fight back in an effort to escape. That's the films only flaw as we are only really left with a few to root for. In a way it helps disguise the real heroes amongst the villians.


From the extreme and sometimes convoluted deaths, there are stark contrasts with occasional touching moments and it can become slightly unsettling. It's not something for those who are appalled easily as the humour isn't obvious and to some may be slightly twisted. As certain situations arise throughout you are left considering what the film is trying to say. A visceral ride where nothing is taboo and the violence is glorified to such extent that may leave you feeling numb. A rebel without of cause? Look deeper, you'll see the bigger picture.

Acting3.5/5
Technical Merit 4/5
Narrative 4/5
Entertainment 4/5

15.5/20



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