100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 45: Battle Royale

Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Kou Shibasaki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Takako Baba, Takeshi Kitano

Description: In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Review: Teacher Kitano is very disappointed in the Japanese youth. They aren’t respectfull towards adults and the elderly and he wants them to get that back. There is a way, according to him, but it’s a very drastic method. Every year, Kitano plays a game with his class, where the kids have to regain the respect for the elderly. It’s called Battle Royale.
The game takes place on an island. The 40 kids are released here and get some supplies and weapons to take with them. These weapons differentiate from axes to guns and binoculars and garbage can lids. Goal is to become the only survivor after three days, because they have to fight each other to the death.
The Japanese have a sick taste when it comes to movies. It’s over the top violence and acting. I never get used to it, I can’t seem to love it. “The Hunger Games” is a mild version of “Battle Royale” of some sort, but I do prefer this milder version though. “Battle Royale” is probably the better of the two, but somehow I can never appreciate this kind of movie.
I still think “Battle Royale” is worth seeing, because it’s a very interesting premise. And I did like the film, but I just didn’t love it (did I really just say that, that sounded lame).

Rating: 3,5/ 5