Battle Royale

Ein wunderbar schockierender Massaker-Film. Seine Absurdität muss man mit einem Lächeln (und an manchen Stellen mit einem lauten Lachen) übersehen. Hervorragend gedreht und geschnitten, seine Locations erinnern an Bad Taste und Ring. Ich bin aber kein Fan von diesem Film. Die ausgezeichnete Idee wurde nicht perfekt umgesetzt. Die anfangs dekadente Unterhaltung möchte am Ende mehr sein, was ihr nur teilweise gelingt. *** ES FOLGT EIN SPOILER! *** Das wichtige dramatische Motiv der Figur von Takeshi Kitano, die aus Liebe zu einer Spielerin das ganze System und die Spielregeln verrät, funktioniert fast gar nicht. Und die Abschlussgedanken, die damit zusammenhängen, wirken im Kontext der vorigen Show zu unnatürlich. (11.08.2005)

A killer game with a lot of blood and maybe even a hidden message. You can think of it as a big fling that doesn't make any sense, or you can think of it as a reflection on the causes of violence, on how, in a liminal situation, even the greatest of friends can become mortal enemies. Personally, I would lean towards the former, but it’s certainly worth watching, and I appreciate the originality. (01.07.2003)

If I recall correctly (and can’t guarantee it), Battle Royale is only the second Asian film to get five stars from me (the first one was the Korean melodrama A Moment to Remember). During the first fifteen minutes I could only stare in disbelief at what was happening on the screen – I don’t remember any film ever shocking so much. Incredibly bizarre and insane (the explanation of the rules!), uncompromising and politically incorrect, I almost couldn’t believe what the Japanese had done. Once I got used to that, I let myself be entertained by the film and how many times it casually slips into the B-movie comedy realm. I’m not going to say it’s perfect, it isn’t, there are many places where it grids with the logic and the execution, but I’m extremely satisfied. (04.07.2009)

While I have nothing against Asia, extreme violence, or false psychology, presenting false emotions is inexcusable to me. The idea and the script may be original, but after 20 minutes the film turns into a pointless and unbearably drawn-out bore that cannot even rely on the amazing audiovisual design. The captivating camerawork and the musical accompaniment from the greatest classics, combined with the brutal violence, create a hypnotic synthesis. However, none of the characters grew close to my heart, and I didn't care about any of them. Instead, I found myself watching the clock, aware of the remaining duration of the film. My highly subjective feeling at the end that I had just lost two hours of time in an absolutely incomprehensible way, admittedly made me a little angry. (04.02.2006)

Anyone out there want to give this a try in the flesh? If so, February 29, Střelecky Island, it’s a date. If you take some good speakers with you, you’ll be able to play the genius soundtrack. Kitano won't be there, but finding a charismatic bum to play the victim for a box of wine shouldn’t be a big problem. The next opportunity will be February twenty-ninth, the year of our lord 2012. I'm looking forward to it, happy hunting! (10.07.2007)

I read an excellent sci-fi story on the topic depicted in this movie about a twisted reality show where a group of inmates sentenced to death fought for survival, and the winner received not only mercy but also a decent reward. This dystopian spectacle aimed to divert the attention of the viewers from the economic crisis and societal stagnation. The main problem with Fukasaku's film is the inadequate portrayal of the background, of why society and the government had agreed on such a twisted game because, without its filming and broadcasting in the media, it somehow loses its meaning. If we accept the screenwriter's game, the director made the most out of the idea. The fight for survival within a closed community of high school students naturally offers tremendous opportunities to display a wide range of emotions, tension, and measured brutality so that the viewer remains appropriately excited throughout, and the relatively surprising ending is their reward. Everything is accentuated by a provocatively chosen musical background; you wouldn't believe the shots the director can combine with "The Blue Danube" waltz. Takeshi Kitano in the role of the tough teacher is naturally flawless in terms of acting, although his motivation, or rather the transformation from an intellectual to a cynical killer, is somewhat forced from a screenplay perspective. Overall impression: 80%. The film can rightfully be criticized for gratuitous naturalistic violence, but for the majority of its duration, the director successfully balances on the edge of bearability. (28.03.2009)

A very bold and stylish thriller that owes its undying fame to its controversy. I still have the nagging feeling that even more could have been extracted from such an excellent premise and that cramming ideas about life or deeper meaning into a story like this was a low blow to the viewer, but there’s not much more to complain about. Fukasaku knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, and he succeeded. From the very beginning, it’s a very brisk and, thanks to the shocking content, rather unpleasant spectacle full of blood and violence that fleshes out the human character into the blackest form imaginable. From a filmmaking point of view, it’s an almost flawless piece of work, with an effective atmosphere, excellent soundtrack and developed psychology of the main characters, whom we get to know through small episodes from their past. Of the actors, the most striking is of course Takeshi Kitano, whose character surprisingly has the most depth and most important motive. I won't, and I don't want to ramble on about the message of Battle Royale as a vision of modern society, because it's as debatable as the film itself, I would simply say that Fukasaku is a madman who took great pleasure in letting his imagination run wild. No wonder Tarantino praised this film so much. 80% (07.04.2013)

Der möglicherweise oberflächliche Massenmord ist das Thema, aber durch eine starke kreative Führung ist der Actionfilm hervorragend inszeniert, in dem alles funktioniert - von der Psychologie der Charaktere und ihrer Vorstellung für den Zuschauer, über natürliche schauspielerische Leistungen und glaubwürdige Emotionen, bis hin zu einfallsreichen und blutigen Action-Szenen sowie einem beinahe poetischen Übergang am Ende. In diesem Schema ergibt das eigentliche Spiel "Battle Royale" möglicherweise keinen Sinn oder es wird nicht erklärt - der Zweck/Effekt des gesamten Spiels ist wahrscheinlich auch ziemlich diskutabel. Trotzdem funktioniert die Filmidee grundsätzlich perfekt und bietet viele Gelegenheiten für schockierende Action-Szenen, die Kinji Fukasaku ungeniert und häufig nutzt und ihnen durch die Ästhetik der Brutalität und die Auswahl der Filmmusik eine Art "erhabene" Kunst verleiht. Was soll ich noch sagen, ich genieße diesen Film bei jeder weiteren Betrachtung in vollen Zügen. (20.06.2019)

The Japanese precursor to all the Hunger Games and similar style films. I rewatched it after years and it had the same effect on me as it did back then. At times it is a chilling, gritty thriller. At times it shows the typical Japanese enthusiasm seen in Japanese tourists. At times the film slows down almost to a halt due to the also typically Japanese sentimentality. The whole film is strangely unbalanced with hardly any detriment to the plot. I especially want to highlight the excellent soundtrack (Radetzky March on the Blue Danube was fantastic), and the unforgettable instructional video. The film was entertaining, terrifying, and thought-provoking at the same time. (09.11.2016)