Battle Royale - Two Disc Special Edition [DVD] [2001]

There was no way I was NOT going to like a Blu-Ray version of this masterpiece, but even so Arrow Videos have absolutely wowed me with their considered and generous treatment of the release. The packaging is robust and well-designed, the video extras are numerous and non-filler, and the extra gifts ("Parents' Day" comic, the two booklets, the poster, and film stills) are all well presented and very well picked.

The box is very strong hard card in a matte finish, with front cover art that features a "school lockers" motif and a rear which is devoted to describing the set. Inside the box are five folding cardboard sleeves which share the locker motif on their rears. Two of the sleeves contain all the printed extras, and have the special edition posters on their fronts. The other three sleeves contain the Blu-Ray discs and the fronts feature stylised artwork of Kiriyama (Theatrical Release), Kawada (Director's Cut), and Mitsuko (Additional Extras), along with their weapons of choice. In short a strong but not overpowering artistic theme is maintained throughout the set which I think declares "someone who cares about the film designed me".

The Amazon product description actually does a good job of listing the content but the set specifications could be better. Specs are:

* Running time (theatrical) = 114 minutes;
* Running time (director's) = 122 minutes;
* Language/Subs = Japanese/English;
* Aspect Ratio = 1.85:1;
* Audio = DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / Stereo.

It's interesting to note that the subtitles for the Director's Cut have been entirely re-translated. This creates trivial semantic differences between many bits of dialogue in the two versions of the film, but puts an entirely new spin on a minority of other scenes. It's worth watching both films back-to-back to see how the feel of certain character interactions changes.

With regard to new footage, I don't want to spoil anything. But I will say the only additional parts which I thought added anything essential to the film were a flashback to Mitsuko's childhood (be assured it's as creepy as one might reasonably expect), and a re-telling of Noriko's dream in one of three "Requiems" at the end of the film. Having said that, nothing in the Director's Cut detracts from the film and I felt that it was a slightly superior cut.

With regards to the Blu-Ray quality, the sound is tremendous. The picture quality is pretty good and has scrubbed up well for a film of its age, especially considering that a lot of it was shot in the dark and the pouring rain, both of which create serious issues for cinematographers! I noticed that some of the killings have had blood-spatter digitally added - it's incredibly obvious but since most of the deaths were nowhere near as messy as they should have been it sort of helps. There are all sorts of rumours going around on the internet that this is an "up-scaled Standard Definition" version of the film. I've not seen anyone provide convincing evidence either way on that, and personally I found the picture quality to be excellent compared to the previous releases.

One scene in the Director's Cut sticks out as looking utterly un-restored; I'm not sure if they tried and failed or somehow missed it. When Mitsuko takes Hirono's gun after their confrontation in Megumi's shack, and Hirono turns to run, it is clearly obvious that the footage has not been touched. Doesn't really make much difference, it just sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of the film has been polished to such a shine.

In conclusion, if you are any kind of a fan then for the price you simply cannot get a better presentation of this unique and epic film. You should definitely buy this before the 10,000 copies are gone for good. I am so glad I bought this set, and even though I am not that fond of the sequel I'll be buying that film too if it gets the same treatment! This special edition set is truly essential, and it's how all special editions should be put together - with the appropriate care, attention to detail, and the deserved reverence!

Forget Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This is the best film to ever come from the Far East. Ever. It's been banned in 4 countries, but it's not the sort of film that deserves that. No sexually explicit scenes, just extreme violence. Violence is seen in most modern films. Like so many good films, it can be viewed at two levels. The meaningful one, which delivers a hard-hitting harsh portrayal of how society can degenerate in the hands of a poor economy and inept government. This is an admirable and shocking film in that respect. I have to admit I was genuinely shocked when I first saw this film. If this doesn't appeal to you, it can be taken at token value as a hackfest of a film in which children kill each other in increasingly gory ways.

The truly great thing about this film is the way the children are portrayed. You see how they react differently and shockingly to the contest, by laughing it off until they cop a bullet in the ribs, or taking their own lives because they cannot face killing their friends, or forming gangs built on fragile trust that can be broken in a heartbeat. Truly shocking, yet riveting in a way that makes you unable to stop watching. It's acted by real children - not famous children bred on success. That really really adds to the films effect.

As I said, this film can be taken on two levels. I seriously suggest seeing it firstly as a shocking and realistic film. The emotive power of this film beats anything I have seen before.

Excellent. Get it.

The Place: Japan. The Time: The not-so-distant-future. Faced with the prospect of losing control over the nation's young people, a totalitarian government decides upon a ruthless demonstration of power. The Battle Royale Act annually sends a randomly-selected class of highschool students to an uninhabited island where they are compelled to kill each other until only one of their number survives.

The reasoning behind this bizarre piece of legislation is perhaps the weakest part of the plot - but the Director deftly causes us to suspend disbelief by drawing us surely and touchingly into the feelings of the young cast. Unlike many western movies which trot out a body count of simplistic characters who are only there to die horribly for our entertainment, Battle Royale somehow manages to rapidly introduce us to the story's potential victims and make us care about them.

We are deliberately disoriented by blackly humorous elements - most notably the video taped instructions delivered by a relentlessly hyper female presenter; like a living cartoon character, she mockingly tells the children to think of her as their new big sister and urges them to ‘fight with gusto’. As the class is issued with their survival packs (containing food, water, a flashlight and a randomly-issued weapon which might be as deadly as a shotgun or as useless as a paper fan), we see them react in a variety of realistic ways - some are numbed with terror; some decline to kill; others rush outside and prepare to ambush their former friends.

You will read reviews that describe this film as excessively violent. I believe that this is a gross overstatement. Though there are many deaths and not a little blood, the main emphasis is upon simple human values - issues such as trust, friendship, love and hate - which the competition tests to their very limits. Children who have little genuine experience of living are forced to evaluate their relationships with each other if they want to stay alive. Alliances are formed and broken; long suppressed crushes and barely buried antagonisms influence their decisions.

There are no easy or mindless deaths in this film. The violent scenes make the point that violence and death are not cool or funny. This is not Kill Bill; every character in Battle Royale has value as a living, breathing human being. It may sound corny to say that the movie is an emotional rollercoaster ride, but it truly is - having dared to give us three dimensional people who bleed when they are cut, the Director sometimes dares to cruelly follow scenes of tragedy with jarring moments of biting, dark and sarcastic wit.

We are given subtle hints that the game is rigged and that the class has not really been 'chosen by impartial lottery'. The adults who manage the contest have hidden agendas; disconcertingly, their own behaviour does not make them good role models for the young 'delinquents' they are supposedly attempting to reform. Their leader - one of the students' former teachers - is revealed (like many of the S.S. men who ran the Nazi concentration camps) to be a failure in life outside the game. Uninspiring as a teacher and unloved and unrespected as a father, he receives such bitterly contemptuous 'phone calls from his own daughter that we almost feel pity for him. Yet, this emotionally-crippled man ultimately shows himself to be unexpectedly capable of an unconventional brand of compassion.

If this was an American movie, the class would be played by people in their twenties and thirties. Two or three of the students would be given a lot of screen time and the rest would be faceless cannon fodder. Five seconds after the opening titles, you would know who was going to survive. Despite its odd premise, Battle Royale seems closer to reality because its teenagers really are teenagers and it allows no comforting certainties about who lives or dies.

The true genius of Battle Royale lies in the ensemble playing of the entire cast. Although young, not one of them strikes a dud note and the script gives almost all of the students a chance to shine at some point. The fight scenes are not staged in the style of 'Enter The Dragon' - the kids are not weapons experts or Karate champions. We see them kill each other but we are not invited to hate them - they are, after all, children. They are scared and desperate.

Some reviewers have criticised aspects of the dialogue as unrealistic. There are certainly times when the script seems stagey - but it is important to remember that these Japanese children are products of a national culture which often finds the expression of passionate emotions problematical. If anything, the formal phrasing and awkwardness of their most heartfelt expressions only serves to make them more meaningful.

The Special Edition ends (quite literally) with a question. You will find yourself going back to this movie time and time again to answer it. Each viewing is rewarded with details that you probably missed previously - the depth of characterisation and the layers of hidden-in-plain-sight clues continually allow you to understand the story from fresh perspectives.