Review of Battle Royale (2000) by Johnathon W — 15 Aug 2015

Relentless & violent drama that only misses on a rather anti-climatic ending. The cast is solid across the board and using actors of actual school age is ingenious, as it makes the drama more realistic.

Takeshi Kitano also has fun, giving a demented performance as a school teacher who finally has his students undivided attention. Behind the camera, Kinji Fukasaku crafts a brutal film that pulls no punches while managing to also be a high school satire (the students fall into the usual clicks, even when trying to kill each other).

Unfortunately, the tone of the film is uneven, particularly in the depiction of 'Battle Royale', as it's at first believed to be a media event but later acts like it's carried out in secret.

Plus, the ending is more of a whimper than a bang. Overall, a violent drama that more than gives films like "The Hunger Games" a run for their money.