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BATTLE
ROYALE
AKA:
BR Act ||
B.R. Act
Year:
2000 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
Every
once in a while a film comes along that not only breaches the boundaries
of international filmmaking but it also manages to find it's
way into the mainstream market without even having to try.
'Battle Royale' is just one such film that seems to have
enjoyed success thanks to it's startling approach and risqué
storyline.
In
a time when the children run riot with no respect for their
elders, it's time for a new law to be instigated! Under
the terms of the survival program, known affectionately as
'Battle Royale', a carefully selected group of kids are
transported to a far away island before being given the glad
tidings that they must fight it out until there is only one
survivor. In this particular instance, it's a class of
9th Graders that are chosen and we must watch as, slowly but
surely, they begin to ease into their situation and the
countdown begins to see who will emerge victorious.
The
keyword for this film really has to be originality
which it screams throughout. So many of today's films
achieve notoriety thanks to established parameters that echo
through the majority of the big screen extravaganzas but
'Battle Royale' really does take a refreshing form of attack.
There is no long winded explanation behind the characters or
any kind of attempt to rationalise the mindless violence but
instead we are left with a film that blasts you into a
grotesque world where teenage arrogance is unforgivable and
the adults will fight back, no matter what the costs!
The resulting effect is a picture that really allows you be
swept along with the film without ever having to understand
more than the basics, achieving pure unadulterated
entertainment.
The
action that fills the majority of 'Battle Royale' certainly
owes more to Japan's history of horror movies than to the
intricate kung-fu seen in present day Hong Kong flicks. Bloody
shoot-outs prominently occupy the screen, accompanied by some
larger than life hand-to-hand combat that always ends in a
suitably gruesome conclusion. Heads roll, limbs fly and
innocent blood is splattered about the place but all of it
seems somewhat fitting in this bizarre situation.
'Battle
Royale' is a fast paced, intense and emotionally charged film
that goes where most filmmakers would never dare and produces
a highly recommended movie for fans of all genres. It's
also one of those rare films that leaves the audience with
several thought provoking dilemmas and will remain a talking
point amongst friends for sometime to come.
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