BATTLE ROYALE
PLOT-A class of high school students are forced to kill each other on a deserted island.
VIOLENCE-You will be hard pressed to find a more violent film than this! People are killed by arrows, multiple gunshots, explosives, stabbings, throats are cut, you name it. And keep in mind, all of this is done by and to teenagers.
SEX/NUDITY-Absolute zero.
WHY I LIKED IT-I have seen many freaked-out, violent and gory Japanese films. However, this is one of the most disturbing because it isn't horror. It has no creatures or slashers or mad doctors. Like the plot says, a high school class is chosen at random (by the government) to be taken to a deserted island, where they must either kill or be killed. This is done to set an example because apparently high school kids are out of control and need to be taught a lesson. Whatever the story, this is an extremely well-made movie that is more than just a showcase for extreme violence. It has characters you get to know and care about over the course of 2 hours, which is why the deaths carry such a big effect. Further, they do a great job in nailing just about every stereotype personality you remember from school. The bullies, the nerds, the retards, the popular girls, all that. To see them all in a race to be the last man standing is just berserk as a concept, but it works. It's a hard movie to watch because of how brutal and realistic the violence is, but it's an important movie nonetheless. I will never forget it.
DOWNSIDE-There are several characters in the film, and it was hard for me to keep track of who was who at first. I had to watch it twice to get the full effect.
MEMORABLE SCENES-One kid kills another by chopping off his head with a sword, shoving a grenade in its mouth, and throwing the head through a window (in order to kill a few more people).
NOTES-As of September 2002, there still has not been an official American release of this film (probably due to the subject matter). However, it has been released in other countries. The UK and Ireland recently saw a 2-disc special edition released by Tartan, which I believe may be playable on Region 1 NTSC machines. A good way to find this is to check for ebay auctions.
(September 2002)