Kinji FUKASAKU 深作欣二
バトル・ロワイアル
Nippon Cinema ª
Getting problems with censorship in Japan takes some effort. Battle Royale has succeeded in this feat, and the scandal even made such a big splash that the release of the film was recently debated in the Japanese parliament. No surprise, since Battle Royale depicts a comparatively gloomy picture of the near future of Japan. A now totalitarian government is not only struggling with an unemployment rate of 15 percent, the escalating violence in schools is a real thorn in its side. In order to set an example, a school class is drawn by lot once a year and shipped to an island. Each pupil is given a collar with an integrated explosive device and a weapon in his hand. Then they all have three days to kill each other; if more than one person is still alive after this time, the explosives will be triggered on all collars.
Related Events:
Battle Royale (NC 2002)
Violence
バトル・ロワイアル
日本 2000
113 分
About Kinji FUKASAKU
深作欣二
Veteran director Kinji FUKASAKU (1930 - 2003) is best known for his nihilistic yakuza films. He began his film career in 1961 with Toei. With his films, he reinvented the yakuza genre and broke all box office records. With BATTLE ROYALE (2000) he presented his 60th film.