Undoubtedly a modern classic, whatever I think of it, for its depiction of school life and violent action, Battle Royale came out at the turn of the century - and in the UK in September 2001[1]. Very simply, it is the story of what happens when friends are asked to turn on each other - and are they still friends once they have done so?
Set in a slightly alternate reality[2] where high unemployment (at a scary level of 15%) has caused many problems with adults unable to work and children and as a crisis develops within society, a BR Act is passed whereby a class is chosen at random, to be placed on an island and kill each other until there is just one remaining. That survivor is allowed to leave and then can live a normal life – as normal as one can be when you have seen all your classmates die. I guess it is supposed to show the scapegoating of those unable to fight back and that it is not too bad to sacrifice these individuals for the good of those in power. I can't help but draw some parallels to a society that so regularly monsters outsiders on the front pages of newspapers or demonises minorities and the dispossessed through policy.
The plot is, in many ways, not so important as it is set up at the beginning and has a clear direction without much departure from what is set up. The crux of the film is how everyone deals with this situation, and the question has to run through the viewer's mind too. What would you do?
The start of the film, as the premise is set up, is really odd and quite difficult to take in as the style is pretty uneven. The students are taking a coach trip to their graduation trip completely unaware of the purpose of their trip and once they find out, they are completely unaware of the BR Act. It seems very unlikely that the kids would not be aware of the act itself and at least have heard rumours of it but I think it is consistent, just, with the world depicted as the children are supposed to be wasteful, decadent and un-engaged with wider society. As they are bundled into a room to start - a truly strange, bubbly instructional video explaining the rules starts to play. It seems to knock all of the seriousness out of the situation but actually makes it feel even more so with the oddness. Let us just say that the number students entering is not the same number leaving.
The premise is simple but it is still quite shocking, and it was even more so at the time to be honest as it was not so long after the Columbine massacre[3] and so there was quite a lot of debate about school age violence. I think, since then, there have been plenty of films, such as Hostel, that fall into the torture porn territory so this feels a little more tame now. Japanese classes are quite large and often have about 40 children in them so there are plenty of kids that have to die to get to the end, and die they do in myriad ways. The benefit, from a storytelling point of view, is that there are plenty of different ways that can be shown though, of course, only one method can be successful.
Set in a slightly alternate reality[2] where high unemployment (at a scary level of 15%) has caused many problems with adults unable to work and children and as a crisis develops within society, a BR Act is passed whereby a class is chosen at random, to be placed on an island and kill each other until there is just one remaining. That survivor is allowed to leave and then can live a normal life – as normal as one can be when you have seen all your classmates die. I guess it is supposed to show the scapegoating of those unable to fight back and that it is not too bad to sacrifice these individuals for the good of those in power. I can't help but draw some parallels to a society that so regularly monsters outsiders on the front pages of newspapers or demonises minorities and the dispossessed through policy.
The plot is, in many ways, not so important as it is set up at the beginning and has a clear direction without much departure from what is set up. The crux of the film is how everyone deals with this situation, and the question has to run through the viewer's mind too. What would you do?
The start of the film, as the premise is set up, is really odd and quite difficult to take in as the style is pretty uneven. The students are taking a coach trip to their graduation trip completely unaware of the purpose of their trip and once they find out, they are completely unaware of the BR Act. It seems very unlikely that the kids would not be aware of the act itself and at least have heard rumours of it but I think it is consistent, just, with the world depicted as the children are supposed to be wasteful, decadent and un-engaged with wider society. As they are bundled into a room to start - a truly strange, bubbly instructional video explaining the rules starts to play. It seems to knock all of the seriousness out of the situation but actually makes it feel even more so with the oddness. Let us just say that the number students entering is not the same number leaving.
The premise is simple but it is still quite shocking, and it was even more so at the time to be honest as it was not so long after the Columbine massacre[3] and so there was quite a lot of debate about school age violence. I think, since then, there have been plenty of films, such as Hostel, that fall into the torture porn territory so this feels a little more tame now. Japanese classes are quite large and often have about 40 children in them so there are plenty of kids that have to die to get to the end, and die they do in myriad ways. The benefit, from a storytelling point of view, is that there are plenty of different ways that can be shown though, of course, only one method can be successful.
The number of kids also means that the cast is quite large and this ensemble cast have, in a few cases, gone on to bigger and better things. Notable cast members that it is interesting to see are Takeshi “Beat” Kitano (well respected film director and actor) as the class teacher, Chiaki Kuriyama (seen in Kill Bill) as a driven student, Tatsuya Fujiwara (seen in Death Note) as the protagonist Shuya, Sôsuke Takaoka (later seen in Break Out!) and Kou Shibasaki (as a girlfriend in Go) as a murderous and lonely Mitsuko. With it being such an ensemble piece, it can be tricky to grab the screen but Kou Shibasaki plays her part really excellently with a real murderous zeal which is at odds with other roles I have seen her in. Problematically, with the acting, is the style of the film itself which is not exactly a realistic depiction. Many of the deaths are very melodramatic with last breaths timed perfectly to deliver lines clearly and eyes closing and opening throughout. I think it is supposed to convey a partly dreamlike state[4] but I can definitely appreciate that it is difficult to take the film seriously when it does this.
When the film was released in the west[5] it built up a reputation as a mindless, fun and violent film but I think it has been misunderstood as a result. I personally think it is fairly dense with social commentary which can be lost within the fast moving action scenes. The main thread that I think runs through the film to give it that weight is just the text at the beginning explaining the high unemployment - and it is understandable that this would not be remembered. This informs the reasons why Shuya finds himself without parents and in a care home, why the scapegoating of the weak has been encouraged and the competitive urges are encouraged in the students. I especially love the depiction of friendship and how it is shown to be so weak and simultaneously strong - a motivation to both kill and protect. The girls, in particular, are shown to be lacking in trust of each other outside of their cliques and that bullying of the students, seemingly chosen at random, is shown very clearly. One scene finds a group of friends holed up in a lighthouse sticking together and cooking meals and keeping watchout as a team. As a plan goes slightly awry, the gossamer thin trust that they all had and the seething resentments come to the boil with a flurry of bullets. Interestingly, all the male killers are shown to be almost acting outside of themselves or are shown to be psychopathic so there could be some gender issues for some viewers. It also seems to be a commentary about how much society forces us all into competition, from school, and tries to enlarge differences until we feel we must crush others. It is interesting that any attempts at co-operation are basically destroyed by lone wolves who also end up being unsuccessful. In many ways, the film plays out like a game of Bomberman/Dynablaster with those that are passive at the beginning often able to get a little further. Well, my games of Bomberman anyway - until everyone gangs up on me.
I forgot how much I liked them all.
Incidentally, I watched the Special Edition which seems to have a little more exposition which I do not always think is necessary. A little scene showing Mitsuko's childhood hinting at physical and mental abuse seemed a little too proscribed though it was incredibly creepy.
As I think is fairly clear, I really enjoyed Battle Royale and, over the years, I have rewatched it a few times as it is both very easy to watch and it is also quite thought-provoking. It contains one of my very favourite scenes in film within the lighthouse and I love the uneven treatment of the whole story as it leaves a number of unimportant questions unanswered - meaning you can think about it if you want but it is optional. It is a great film and - with caveats about violence of course - it deserves to be watched by as many people as can watch it.
Watch the trailer and decide if you are one of them:
1. I have a little personal history for this film as I searched it out after watching (and having my mind blown by) Ringu with friends and then watched this at the Curzon Soho. As far as I can remember, this may have been the first time I searched out and watched a film with such a limited release.↩
2. The book, by Koushun Takami, has a slightly different world which I do not think allows such a clear message as that world described, seems a little more removed and much more relevant for a particular type of society whereas this feels as if it is closer to the society we have. The book was recommended by a student of mine and it is sufficiently different to be enjoyed I think.↩
3. Although, it is fair to say that any film released at any point in the last few decades has been in the aftermath of a senseless shooting/killing spree in the US – and often in schools, such is their problem. This particular massacre is often held up as a reason why Fight Club did poorly at release.↩
4. The final deaths shown on screen are really difficult to understand as they are so unrealistic – especially where one is shot and then walks around to answer a phone call and then slump, dead, on the sofa.↩
5. It struggled to find a distributor in the US, even in the wake of Kill Bill which draws from it a little, which was partially due to the level of violence and subject matter. I think this is what has allowed The Hunger Games to be released and not thought of as a massive rip-off. The writer has apparently said that she had not heard of Battle Royale but I, along with many others, am a little dubious.↩
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