The movie is so good, it will keep you guessing until the very end. Kinji Fukasaku keeps the pace moving quickly, while the characters in the movie interacts, giving us just enough information about each one of them. Subtle, yet brilliant scriptwriting. Add to that a superb cast.

They really look like the kids they portray--which is more painful when you see them killing each other, playing the game they are all forced to play.

It basically sets a new standard in depicting violence in the movies. Fear, tension, betrayal, chaos, and nail biting suspense. Not to mention loud screams, sighs of painful gestures, and someone saying "Damn, that must've hurt!", while watching BATTLE ROYALE. As mentioned above, the movie opens with an operatic piece as the Toei Pictures logo opens the movie. A prologue explains that by the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed.

85% of the population were out work, and at only 15% employment, the youths started boycotting school and causing widespread havoc. The adults, fearing the youths, prompted to pass a reform act to set the youths straight, deliquent or otherwise. Hence, the new law is called "The Millennium Educational Reform Act", a.k.a "The B R act", a.k.a " Battle Royale."

One of the elements I enjoyed in viewing BR, especially for the first time, is its use of classical music. I mean it's the exact irony of it all that makes it all the more interesting and enjoyable. Where else can you see two young students fighting to the death while listening to Bach's Air for a G string? Fukasaku-san's mind is twisted, and beautiful. Another element is the use of comedy and dark humor.

As I watched Kitano-san, (played wonderfully with disturbing delight by Takeshi Kitano) as he tells these kids that their very lives are threatened, Kitano-san explains it in such a vicious, and yet hilarious, way. The whole movie pretty much takes place on a deserted island, where the unfortunate students were taken after their abduction.

There aren't a whole lot of negative things to mention about BR's production standards, except maybe for its plot holes, although I can mention a couple, it will not hurt the premise of the storyline one bit. At least to me anwyay. In fact, you will be so totally absorbed in the movie you won't even notice it. As you will pretty much be biting your nails among other things, for you will be totally enraptured by its cringingly painful death scenes of young Japanese 9th graders.

But by no means should you watch this masterpiece just because of its controversial premise, that's just the icing on the cake. It should be watched for its energizing direction, its arresting formula that will horrify and entertain the viewer. The pace of the movie moves at such a mathematical precision that it will keep you in awe, as you are captivated by the ordeals of the characters and the horror they are experiencing.

You will find yourselves cheering for your favorite characters, as they endure obstacle after obstacle. And, sadistic though it may sound, these are 9th graders we are watching after all as they kill each other off. You will be treated to one of the most spectacular, most talked about, and most contoversial films ever made, by any film company. Do yourself a favor, do not pass this one up. This is the movie for the ages. The most shocking, as it is disturbing.

In conclusion, BATTLE ROYALE is without a doubt a definitive cult classic in Japanese Cinema. Just as Miike's DEAD OR ALIVE messed with your senses on its opening credits, so does BATTLE ROYALE in its entire 114 minutes of running time. Fukasaku-san has definitely made his mark in shock cinema, and BATTLE ROYALE is that mark.

I have never seen a movie that totally changed my whole perspective towards Japanese filmmaking. It's because of these type of flicks that I enjoy and love Asian cinema. No other film has ever made an indelible mark on my mind, and I have yet to see another movie that will do so. In short, no one should miss viewing the testament of Fukasaku-san's movie career, the Japanese movie masterpiece that is BATTLE ROYALE.

If you don't have it, I would give it my highest recommendation; and if you do have it, you should probably watch it at least once every year to keep good company with a well crafted story. Thanks for the time, campers, I got to peel.

Set in the near future, in response to rampant youth violence, the Japanese government each year selects one 8th grade class and maroons them in an isolated island for 3 days, where they must kill each other in order to survive.

The idea is appalling - but it's how the film explores it that makes the film as compelling as it is. How the various teenagers react to the predicament sets the tone for an unforgettable story. The original Kinji Fukasaki novel expands upon some of the issues that were necessarily abridged in the film, and the film abbreviates a lot while retaining the same essential formula and impact. The film expands the character of the lead government man running the Battle, which is effective, and the film also adds an intoxicatingly cute Japanese girl who introduces the Battle Royale students to the rules of the game via an enthusiastic and cutesy-putesy TV show segment.

I, as a rule, don't usually think much of violent films, however the killing game around which this unforgettable story takes place is merely a backdrop upon which the real drama takes place.

Friendships are formed amidst adversity, and lost amidst betrayal. Anxiety and the basic need to survive drive many of the classmates to unimaginable odds, and the most timid of personalities become the most unforgettable characters.

There is essentially a sense of compassion to be felt for each and every student as they meet their ends at the hands of people they may have once trusted or befriended, and the glimpses into the past events that make them who they are.

The one key device I found most striking in the film was the use of the character of Kiriyama. Possessed of a one-track mind, his presence denotes the very fear the students are facing manifested into the form of a seemingly emotionless, mad and driven force of sadistic destruction. Masanobu Ando definitely has my commendations for his rendition of the character. Though he possesses no dialogue, his character is conveyed well through ruthless action and expression.

All plot points aside, Battle Royale is a striking film with a message and a meaning that I personally beleive deserves watching. Eye-opening and shocking from the very beginning, the ideas and meanings within the film and the director's intent are ones that struck me.

A movie that can easily be watched again and again through the sheer integrity of its story as opposed to the violent nature of its plot.

Imagine "The Breakfast Club", where a group of high school kids are serving detention on a Saturday afternoon as punishment. You have the nerd, the jock, the burnout, the prom queen, and the kid who doesn't fit in anywhere. The principal has them write a 1000 word essay to justify their existence. They hate adults and adults hate them right back. By the end of the movie they realize that each one's percerption of the other is not what they they thought it was.

This is the same basic premise of "Battle Royale", only instead of them having to write a 1000 word essay, their assignment is to kill one another...or die. I hope that this movie gets some kind of American treatment ala "The Ring", because in the hands of the right director it would be an awesome movie. Chances are though that the Columbine High School tragedy will keep that from happening. Watch and enjoy!

With the same methods as Paul Verhoeven, Kinji Fukasaku shoots this horrible movie like an "indiana jones" flick. BR is a real slap in the face and his provocating director points different issues about our society and the japan society more particularly.

Fukasaku talks about very serious and important things but this doesn't prevent him from making some black humour. For example, there is a bodycount after each murder sequence. Takeshi Kitano plays the master of ceremony and he is excellent one more time. He seems to be very quiet but he's deadly if you make something wrong.

Fukasaku could be related as well to Oliver Stone for his spectacular and treatment about graphic violence. There are lot of gory moments in Battle Royale. However, Fukasaku remains responisble and this is no gratuitous violence that he shows. If Battle Royale is very violent, this is because its characters have a violent behavior. Brutal acts are not meant to be funny as in a b-movie. There is a serious matter behind these bloody murders. Through this movie, a sociological and psychological study is shown to us. It shows how violent we can become under certain conditions.

During the game, people are humiliated. The weakest links are eliminated and this recalls us some tv shows running these days. BR could be science fiction but some trash tv shows could be closer to BR than we could guess. Of course it's not a matter of life and death but how can we know where it's going to end. People seem to be capable of everything as long as there is a lot of money to win.

To some characters, killing each other is not only a question of surviving. The script contains a lot of subplots. These are usual problems between teenagers : falling in love, flirting, jealousy, sex talking, etc. Before BR, these arguing would be settled with insults and some bas blows. But here they have knives and guns. This shows that murder can quickly become justified if we can feel that we are in our right.

The movie was a pretty big hit at the japanese box office. Apparently a lot of young people appreciate it, but we could be concerned about how they understood the matter. Fukasaku shot this masterpiece when he was 70 years old. It is admirable to see the high energy he put into this movie. He was just announcing he will shoot Battle Royale 2 when he died at the beginning of 2003...

First, its "Go Right For The Jugular" attitude is certainly welcomed in a movie which could ONLY be made in an overseas market for the simple fact of its content. It's about a classroom of high school kids who have been impartially selected for the BR (Battle Royale) Act. What? Why? Well, adults in Japan feel that they have lost control of their children; and through this forced contest, their hopes for a respectable future will be restored by the surviving participant. Yup, that's right, participant! Out of 42 classmates, only ONE can walk away at the end or EVERYONE dies. That begs this hallowing question to be answered by all those playing this "life or death" scenario: "Could you kill your best friend?"

The food for thought (and great storytelling) is there all day long! So, I will go on the record and say that this film is quite possibly the COOLEST product to ever hit my DVD player! (Down, GENE, down!) And that's saying a lot because quite a few really great Asian films have passed through it. And I can only imagine the joys of seeing this movie on the big screen. But I will admit that I was also saddened and it nearly brought tears to my eyes to see all those beautiful young Japanese girls get murdered when I could most certainly think of a better, more pleasurable way to occupy their time on that island. Aside from that though, its somewhat "reality show" atmosphere is also a nice presence since I'm a big fan of the popular Survivor television series. And what about actor Ando Masanobu's super-role as the crazed killer, Kiriyama?! Not to mention, actress Kou Shibasaki as the pure sadistic, evil psychotic goddess, Mitsuko. Yow!

But mark my words, this movie, once it gets some world exposure, will probably spawn a plethora of wannabe's and cheap imitations and cause a quite a ruckus when some stupid kid decides to go into his school and kill one of his classmates and say that he did it because he saw it in this movie. The media will most certainly have a field day with it then, and, of course, this will drive up the demand to see it and the whole mess will probably start all over again. But I confess, I loved it! I really did! If a DVD could wear out from multiple viewings, then my import DVD must be on the brink of destruction. This was a REAL TREASURE that came at the most perfect time and reconfirmed my heart-aching affection for those movies that try to go "too far". And I do believe that this was the film that finally pushed me to seek out all those other obscure Asian movies that I'd been hearing so much about and it also inspired me to start writing my own reviews in the hopes of promoting the often under-appreciated Asian Cinema as well. And DAMN, what a truly wild ride it's been so far! So I must say... "Arrigato, Kinjo-San!"