Battle Royale II (DVD, 2006)

Directed by the late Kinji Fukasaku, "Battle Royale" is a truly magnificent film, and is highly recommended. I first saw the film a few years ago at the urging of a friend and was not disappointed in the least. The film itself is based on the novel by Takami Koshun, which I have not yet had the chance to read. The films narrative deals with the escalating violence among the youth in Japan, and in particular, with the violence in schools. Is the violence that bad? Are things really going to hell in the classrooms? The Japanese authorities seem to think so. So how do the authorities set about disciplining the youth? Detention and expulsion? No, that won't work. With high unemployment, the youth will just wander the streets and cause mayhem. Something much more harsh and drastic must occur in order to capture the present youths attention.

Moreover, the very fabric of the nation is at stake. How are the Japanese authorities going to set an example which will reverberate within their society? Well, for starters they pass a new law. So what! There are already laws on the books dealing with this kind of behavior---Right?. How will this new law change student behavior? Well, for starters, this is no ordinary law. This new law enacted by the government allows a quasi-military type militia to abduct students from selected schools and send them to an isolated island. But what ever for? Surely not a youth camp? There are enough of those already. No, this is something much more draconian and drastic.

Further, things are about to get very extreme in this new youth controlled government. For starters, this militia has complete control over these students lives, and they will force the youth to play out a very twisted and cruel game. One like no other they have ever played. [With the exception of two ringers who volunteer for the game]. As these students are sent to an undisclosed site, they must face a horrifying reality: Schools out--welcome to Battle Royale. Director Fukasaku made the right decision to have actor Takeshi Kitano as the former school teacher who is the one in charge of this latest group of competitors. Who better for the role?. As the former school teacher of this new group chosen to compete in this years game of survival, he makes it a point early in the film to set the tone by letting the students know that this BATTLE ROYALE is no joke.

And the point Takeshi Kitano makes with a couple of students in the beginning of the film is not lost on the other students. The students must kill each other in order to survive. Only when ONE of the students is left standing will the game come to an end. It is here where you see loyalties and friendships part ways, or strengthen. I like the way Kinji Fukasaku directed the film. This is not like "Lord of the Flies" as I read in one of the reviews. "Battle Royale" is a totally different take on a future 21st-century society of ADULTS, that have come to see unruly students as having to be dealt with severely in order to conform to a Japanese society that THEY feel is being threatened. This is a truly great film. Highly Recommended!