Retro Horror Review: Battle Royale and the Destruction of Youth

Reader beware! Spoilers ahead! Battle Royale is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

The idea of youths being left to their own devices and what horrors come of it isn’t a novel idea. In Jules Vern’s 1888 novel “Two Years’ Vacation” we see a group of children stranded on an island, and what the drive of a child is like when put to the test.

William Golding’s 1954 novel “Lord of the Flies” shows us what happens when a group of kids try to govern themselves only to lead to a disastrous end. The 2000 film Battle Royale, based on the novel written by Koushun Takami and directed by the legendary Kinji Fukasaku (Tora! Tora! Tora!, Battles Without Honor and Humanity), gives us a taste of the limit of friendships and loyalty when faced with the decision to kill or be killed. 

Recession has turned the country of Japan into a turbulent region. Unemployment has ravaged much of the adult population while the children boycott school and juvenile crime is at its peak. As society’s fear of the youth increases the Millennium Education Reform Act, or BR Act is created and enforced. This allows for one class of 9^th graders each year to be sent to an undisclosed island and forced to battle to the death until one student is left standing. 

This year, class 3-B has been chosen. On their way to what they think is a class field trip, they are gassed and whisked away to a secret island facility. Scared and confused they are shown an orientation video by their former teacher Kitano (Takeshi Kitano: Hana-bi) who has some unfinished business with his former class.

With seemingly no emotion he states: “Today’s lesson is you kill each other off”. The campiness of the video is such a weird juxtaposition to the fear, anxiety and violence of the situation. 

The kidnapped have 3 days to eliminate their fellow classmates until there is only 1 survivor. If they don’t comply, then everyone is eliminated. As a special bonus, they each have a collar secured to their necks so if they misbehave or get caught in a “danger zone” it’s detonated, as one student finds out quickly.

The execution of two classmates before the contest begins transforms a tense situation into a terrifying one. Armed with a survival pack, map and a random weapon (gun, knife, crossbow or for the less fortunate a cooking pan lid and binoculars) each kid is set loose into the jungle.

Many kids form small groups for safety, but others panic and are killed or kill right away. The best and worst aspects of each kid’s character come out while trying to cope with their situation. The use of flashbacks throughout Battle Royale gives weight to the losses as we see each student in better times with the friends they’re now hunting. It’s an extra added layer of empathy that sets it apart from just an exploitation movie.

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Forty-two middle schoolers start the contest. With the number of casts, the film does a good job giving everyone some screen time, but there are a few standouts that we follow closer than others. Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda) are friends with the hint of an underlying romance. They quickly form a bond and are together for the majority of Battle Royale. You watch as their innocence is taken from them first by accident, then out of desperation to survive. 

The sadistic and unflinching Mitsuko (Kou Shibasaki) takes to killing like a duck in water and finds too much enjoyment as she’s relentless in her skills with a sickle. Two new exchange students Kiriyama (Masanobu Andō) a sociopath who volunteered for the games, not because he had to, but because he enjoyed killing. Kawada (Tarō Yamamoto), who transferred to join the games, as a former winner, he has a vendetta against the adults who run the contest due to the loss he’s suffered. 

Lastly, though not a major character, but a significant one, Takako (Chiaki Kuriyama) who’s character was the inspiration for GoGo, the mace wielding schoolgirl in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Also played by the same actress. Quentin has stated publicly that this is one of his all-time favorite movies, which is how I came to discover it.

School yard grievances and drama quickly escalate into extreme act of murder and deception. Battle Royale has a lot of gratuitous violence all directed towards school kids. The fact that it is being perpetrated by children makes it a bit more palatable, but none less shocking and at times disturbing. You almost feel guilty cheering on the demise of the more detestable contestants, and the deaths are even more devastating when you can see the fear and pain of the truly innocent ones. As each is dispatched, their name and number are announced over a loudspeaker acting like a countdown for the narrative.

With the use of classical music overlaid to the carnage of the visuals, Battle Royale is a stylish, operatic landmark of Japanese cinema and has inspired numerous blockbusters in recent past. It has a lot to say about society as a whole and how in the bleakest of times adults will always find a scapegoat for their woes. Adding to the notion that adult decisions made from fear and self-pity can really do serious damage to the young.  Though not for the squeamish, the twists and thrilling action will surely keep one entertained as you question what you would do to preserve your life if you woke up on this abandoned island. 4.5/5

★★★★★

You can check out the trailer for Battle Royale starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarō Yamamoto below. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of all thing horror, sci-fi and more.

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