Battle Royale (2000)

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Director:

Kinji Fukasaku

Writers:

Koushun Takami (novel), Kenta Fukasaku (screenplay)

Stars:

Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto

7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tatsuya Fujiwara	...	Shuya Nanahara - otoko 15-ban
Aki Maeda	...	Noriko Nakagawa - onna 15-ban
Tarô Yamamoto	...	Shôgo Kawada - otoko 5-ban
Takeshi Kitano	...	Kitano-sensei (as Bito Takeshi)
Chiaki Kuriyama	...	Takako Chigusa - onna 13-ban
Sôsuke Takaoka	...	Hiroki Sugimura - otoko 11-ban
Takashi Tsukamoto	...	Shinji Mimura - otoko 19-ban
Yukihiro Kotani	...	Yôshitoki Kuninobu - otoko 7-ban
Eri Ishikawa	...	Yukie Utsumi - onna 2-ban
Sayaka Kamiya	...	Satomi Noda - onna 17-ban
Aki Inoue	...	Fumiyo Fujiyôshi - onna 18-ban
Takayo Mimura	...	Kayoko Kotôhiki - onna 8-ban
Yutaka Shimada	...	Yûtaka Seto - otoko 12-ban
Ren Matsuzawa	...	Keita Îjima - otoko 2-ban
Hirohito Honda	...	Kazushi Nîda - otoko 16-ban

Storyline

Forty-two students, three days, one deserted Island: welcome to Battle Royale. A group of ninth-grade students from a Japanese high school have been forced by legislation to compete in a Battle Royale. The students are each given a bag with a randomly selected weapon and a few rations of food and water and sent off to kill each other in a no-holds-barred (with a few minor rules) game to the death, which means that the students have three days to kill each other until one survives--or they all die. The movie focuses on a few of the students and how they cope. Some decide to play the game like the psychotic Kiriyama or the sexual Mitsuko, while others like the heroes of the movie--Shuya, Noriko, and Kawada--are trying to find a way to get off the Island without violence. However, as the numbers dwell down lower and lower on an hourly basis, is there any way for Shuya and his classmates to survive?

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Plot Keywords:

fight to the death | most dangerous game | game of death | bloody body of a child | student | 

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Taglines:

Have you ever killed your best friend?

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

16 December 2000 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Battle Royale

Filming Locations:

Hachijo Island, Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

AM Associates, Fukasaku-gumi, GAGA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 122 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies.

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Goofs

When Chigusa attacks Niida, she stabs him in the back, they roll to the floor, and then he tries to run, but she grabs him and screams "Bastard!" However her mouth is shut.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Reporter: This year Zentsuji Middle School number 4's Class E was chosen from among 43,000 Ninth grade classes. This year's game, said to be more blistering than the last - - Oh look there! There she is! The winner's a girl! Surviving a fierce battle that raged two days, seven hours, and 43 minutes - the winner is a girl! Look, she's smiling! Smiling! The girl definitely just smiled!

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Connections

Remade as Cold Blood (2004)

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Soundtracks

Shizuka na hibi no kaidan wo
(Stairway of quiet everyday life)
Performed by Dragon Ash
Courtesy of Victor Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Incredible masterpiece made by Kinji Fukasaku.

"Battle Royale" is one of the most controversial and challenging movies ever made.The film is very gory and violent,but it's also witty,satirical and thought provoking.The concept of "Battle Royale" is pretty simple.The act of Battle Royale decrees that once a year a class of 9th graders is chosen at random,stranded on a small island,and armed with random weapons.The kids are also outfitted with strange necklaces that monitor their locations and life functions,and explode if more than one student is alive at the end of 72 hours.The kids are forced to become savage killers,and the movie provides them with interesting personalities and human reactions to the horrible situation in which they find themselves.The acting is brilliant and the violence is horrific and merciless.The film is very exciting and well-photographed.A masterpiece that needs to be seen by every fan of wonderful Japanese cinema!