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Synopsis:
The turn of the century. Japan
is on the brink of collapse. Fearing
rising indiscipline and rebellion amongst the youth of the nation,
authorities pass the Millennium Educational Reform Act, allowing the
implementation of the ‘Battle Royale’ programme: classes of 14
and 15 year-olds are chosen at random and sent to a remote island
where they are given weapons and three days to kill one another,
until the sole survivor emerges as the winner…
Japanese thriller directed by Kinji Fukusaku
Based on the novel by Takami Koshun
Starring Takeshi Kitano
Rated: R 18+
In Japanese, with English subtitles
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Fukusaku wasn’t just worried about his box office – BR
isn’t just for teenagers because it exploits a teenage audience
- it is a political film with a very heavy moral heart.
It is also extremely controversial.
This film features
40-odd schoolkids dying violently at each other’s hands.
It has yet to receive cinematic release in the US (no
distributor will touch it), and its appearance in the UK in
September 2001 was greeted with howls of protest from the usual
‘concerned’ members of the community.
Frankly I’m surprised that BR has
made it to Australia at all – I don’t know what version is being
shown (uncut or otherwise), but it doesn’t matter.
I’m as impressed as surprised actually, but I hope its
release causes as much of a stink as it deserves.
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Controversy =
ticket sales, simple as that. There
is no such thing as bad publicity I think the saying goes, and given
last year’s furore over Baise-Moi
I’m pretty sure it’s true as well.
When I reviewed Audition
I suggested that that film might get a ‘response’ – it
didn’t, and compared to BR
didn’t deserve one. The
more people that see Fukusaku’s work the better though, and
there’s a pretty good chance someone will kick up a fuss; BR
is violent, but
it’s more the fact that it turns some of our strongest social
taboos on their heads in such a pointed way that makes it a target.
This is a brilliant
film. Sure, it’s
brutal, but Fukusaku doesn’t rely solely on the shock factor to
keep his audience in their seats – he’s also a master director.
Cheap and nasty this ain’t.
Every one of the (very young) actors puts in an incredible
performance, simply (or not) by acting their age.
These are all ‘real’ characters with real and
recognisable problems and personalities.
Jealousy, insecurity, teenage crushes – these all play an
important part in BR because
they help ground the reality of the film.
Fukusaku never abuses the novelty of 14 year-olds killing
each other because it never becomes a novelty.
It hurts when every one of them dies.
Oh, and Beat
Takeshi is ace too.
Should you end up in the cinema watching this…well, I can’t
really imagine anyone walking out of BR.
The moral questions the film asks are also its stability,
should you find things too confronting and need something to hold on
to. These questions are
not a justification for watching the violence – rather, the
violence genuinely gives rise to the questions, so even if you’re
not particularly shocked by what you see,
you still have to think about
it. Fukusaku proves his
characters worthy not just of an emotional response but also a lot
of thought as well.
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Truthfully, I don’t really know if Battle Royale will
cause a controversy.
It’s not French and it deals with death rather than sex, so
that’s at least two points against it on the BAN-THIS-SICK-FILMOMETER.
Either way though, don’t wait until it becomes a talking
point before you see it – if you enjoy being challenged by what
you watch, or even if you don’t (hell, especially
if you don’t), get to the cinema now.
RUN!
Rating: 10 cookies out of
10
Reviewed by Jonathan McCoy
OTHER REVIEWS:
Tom Mes at Midnight
Eye
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