This film is set in the
future but if you watch it, you would be forgiven for thinking it was set in the
present. From the
uniforms to the
weapons the students are given,
Fukasaku Kinji (I am not sure why Eos called him "Shuji") has done his best to associate everything in the film with
Japan's present.
For anyone who understands Japan and its current situation, Battle Royale will have great meaning for them. It raises the issue of Japan's rise in youth violence. Among other things, the Yakuza or Japanese mafia, have set up gangs of youths to do things like steal and intimidate people for them. When they are older, these kids are often picked to join the adult Yakuza gangs.
There is also a link to the competitive nature of the Japanese education system. Just as in the film, students have to kill each other to survive, in real life they must beat each other to go to the best schools. How they do in comparision to their peers can often decide their future. This is much more so than in other countries, like Britain and America.
Such was the impact of the film in Japan, that the Japanese Parliament debated whether it would encourage young people to commit acts of violence. Though the MPs may have overeacted, considering the extreme nature of the film, this is understandable.
The film will make a great impact on anyone who watches it. The killing is not rational or even professionally done like in most action movies. Even the more ruthless students cannot kill the classmates with one shot, but take a while to kill them. The violence is more instinctive and primeval than we would be used to.
SPOILER !!!
As an example of this, in one scene a group of girls, who have barricaded themselves in a lighthouse, are sitting down to lunch. They are happy and feel that they can get through the ordeal together. When one of them is accidentily poisoned (the poisoned food was meant for someone else), this air of trust is immediately replaced by one of fear and paranoia. As a result, they massacre each other!
However I would not wish you all to think this film is all doom and gloom. The ending is full of hope. Indeed, our hero and heroine survive and can be deemed to have been strengthened by this ordeal. Rather than submit to the "System", they seem to fight it - they go on the run. I would recommend this film to most people. The action is well put together and there are plenty of surprises. Be prepared though. It doesn't matter how many times you have seen Reservoir Dogs - the violence in it will be like nothing you have seen before!