Battle Royale

This is a movie that had a cool idea for a plot and actually delivered. It takes an interesting and somewhat crazy "what if" scenario and builds an entire movie around it. Basically, the idea is that Japanese school students are forced to kill each other with the winner being the only one allowed to live. This is in reaction to Japanese schoolchildren boycotting school and a general collapse of the nation, and so is an attempt to bring some kind of order.

The premise might sound far fetched and just a reason for kids to kill each other. However, the film not only revels in the violence but also the emotional weight of situations as well as black humor that could come from such situations. Teen crushes, jealousy, and cliques are shown in a completely different light when things can become deadly at any moment . Also if a winner is not determined in 3 days they all die to ensure that they can't stay passive so most attempts to be peaceful or get along like normal teens are futile.

Sometimes a movie has an interesting premise yet disappoints in not doing enough with that premise. This movie takes full advantage of its premise to deliver both violence and something that really has an effect on you. I've seen many violent movies yet this was one of the few that actually disturbed me at parts due to the impact and context of the actions. The acting, cinematography, music, and everything just work together to keep you entertained and intrigued throughout the entire movie. The characters are given enough background to make you care about them and the movie will fairly often switch to flashbacks of happier times to contrast with the current situation as well as give more an idea of their backgrounds.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone who can handle violence in movies. I think this movie would appeal to a lot of people yet I'm sure many haven't heard of it or don't know much about it. The title alone might make it sure more like a normal action or martial arts movie yet this movie ends up so much more as it deals with the situation realistically and makes you care about what happens. You don't all the sudden see kids act like expert assassins for no reason. I'd consider this a must see. However, the sequel is kind of disappointing as it doesn't seem to have much point to it though worth a watch if you loved this movie and need more. This movie however is definitely one to add to the collection. Amazon seems to have a good version of this DVD available. Watch out where you buy this from as there is no official North American release of this movie so quality can vary.