Battle Royale Report Ever since I heard about the controversy and saw the trailer, I had to see Battle Royale for myself. The commercial made me think I'd get plenty of campy, action-packed goodness. So when a friend told me it'd be screening at a film theater in my area(The Egyptian on Hollywood), I hurried and got myself a ticket. And I was fortunate to have gotten mine in advance, because they were sold out on the same day the movie was showing. And what a day it was. Knowing the awful parking I'd have to deal with, I showed up about 45 minutes early; and there was a HUGE line of people waiting to get in. (It almost extended to the block.) As for the typed of people there, they were generally men and women in their 20's and 30's. (with some in their 40's) Apparently, the director(Kinji Fukasaku) was the big highlight of the show. He was getting photographed by many people. (I think there might've been someone who was recording the event for Japanese tv.) And the audience went wild when he was there to introduce Battle Royale. As for me, I was kind of shocked that he was older than I expected him to be. I was thinking maybe he'd be some young avant-garde filmmaker who didn't take abuse from anyone. (I even confused his son for him.) [For those interested, this was Fukasaku's 60th film. (He'd been in the industry since the 60's.) He's most famous for yakuza(Japanese gangster) movies, with his 1973 "Battles Without Honor And Humanity" being voted one of the 20 Best Japanese Movies of all times by Japanese critics.] I also was surprised about how good-humored he was. [The whole atmosphere strangely seemed that way, what with the music of female j-pop singers playing before the show started. And one woman brought her CHILDREN to see the film.] He was joking about the whole controversy, saying that the film was given a rating of "R-15"; and then he attacked the rating by stating it should have been rated R-50. ("People who are 50 aren't allowed to see it." [I'm paraphrasing, by the way.]) And sadly, I did not get an interview with him, because I had to leave as soon as the movie ended. But one of the presenters there mentioned that Fukasaku's touring his films across the country- through major cities like New York, Cleveland, and Toronto-so hopefully fellow ANS readers will have the opportunity to see Battle Royale as well. (And for those interested in importing the dvd -whenever it comes out-Toei distributed this film.) Now on to the movie. Basically, the plot is about Japan going through an economic crisis, and kids getting out of control.[In one early scene, a kid stabs his teacher.] So a government policy is instituted. Known as the Battle Royale Project, students(particularly middle school students) are randomly picked, and dragged onto an island.In a twisted version of Survivor, they're forced to kill each other-in an alloted time-until one student survives. Otherwise, the collars the kids are wearing will explode, when the time is up. In typical high-school movie fashion, the students all play stereotypical roles. There's the slut, the popular girl, the loner, the gang-member(maybe a jock), and the loser who's really the winner. But to keep up with current times, there's even (for the computer age) a hacker and a Goth. Yes, you heard me: a Goth! I was almost about to ask the director if he wrote this as a satire about the furor over Columbine. And surveying these students' carnage was their fascist teacher, by the name of Kitano. (Played by famous Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano. I'll get to him later.) I wasn't expecting any humor in a film like this, but some of the unexpected jokes were over the top. I mean how would you react to a cheerful "how-to" video, in which the female instructor gleefully shows students the proper rules to kill your fellow peers? I think there was also a small pun on Romeo and Juliet in one scene. (I won't say how, cus then that would be a spoiler.) How they managed to fit in a small love triangle in this movie also astounds me. And the climax of the film-with Kitano-was so unbelievable, (and yet hilarious) that the audience had to applaud it. And the music! They actually use cheerful tunes, such as one of the middle compositions in 2001, as well as a traditional wedding song. I don't know if they were trying to add comic relief, or whether they were trying to be morbid, but one can't help laugh about how inappropriate those themes are in the film. As for the violence, it IS shocking. With weapons such as axes, scythes, machine guns, hand- guns, bombs, tazers, and even grenades being used, you can tell the action will end up being hectic. Even though Japanese youths as young as 15 were allowed to see it in their native country, I wouldn't be surprised if the MPAA gave this movie an NC-17. Audience members were gasping at some scenes. So anyone considering seeing this movie should be warned, if they have a weak stomach. As for the actors, there were only 3 that really impressed me: the one who played the gang- member[I didn't have time to get his name, but he was known as "Kawada" in the movie.], the actor who played the Goth [Don't remember his name either.], and Kitano himself. While the focus is on the loser-turned-hero,he doesn't leave enough of an impression to be remembered. They try to make his past as tragic as possible, but the audience tended to chuckle more often than feel for him. The gang-member is the real attraction in the film, with his easy-going attitude, his quick reactions, and his overall togetherness. All I can say is that he's got the potential to be in major roles for future films. The Goth is basically this guy who voluntarily went on the island "for fun". Looking partly like Spike from Cowboy Bebop, moving like a kabuki dancer, he truly is the most eclectic of the group. He's silent, yet superbly psychotic, as he spares no one in his attacks. He truly deserves the role of antagonist. And Kitano himself was like a cross between a rigid fascist and a motivational speaker. He happily announces who's alive and who's dead. He reminds students when to "take a break" for lunch, and even complains when the killing has declined. I mean, even though he's supposed to be a disturbing authority figure, it's hard to hate him. I was bored of his performace in his other film, Sonatine;[He's also been in and directed films such as Firecracker and Violent Cop.] but his twisted personality in Battle Royale redeemed him in my eyes. So in the end, I would definitely recommend Battle Royale to anyone interested in seeing it. The acting's top-notch, the action is intense[Almost more intense than John Woo!], the romantic subplots are satisfying, and the music is fun to listen to. [With a Dragon Ash song at the end, for j-pop fans.]