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Battle Royale(バトル・ロワイアル)

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Japan · 2000
Rated R · 1h 54m
Director Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Takeshi Kitano, Tsuyako Kinoshita, Eri Ishikawa, Sayaka Ikeda
Genre Drama, Thriller, Adventure

In a dystopian future, the Japanese government pits teens against one another in a televised "battle royale." They must kill each other to survive, and only one can make it out alive.

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What are people saying?

Megan Rochlin Profile picture for Megan Rochlin

I absolutely love this film. I don't understand why some are being so hard on this film. Sure, the premise is kind of silly and requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. You could also say that some of the satire and character depth has been lost in the translation from book to film. For all it's flaws (and I don't think there are that many), however, this is just an awesome film. I can't think of many other action films that pack as much of an emotional punch while still packing so many actual punches. The action is both gritty and super stylishly choreographed, the stakes feel high, and the characters are likable. If you're a fan of the Hunger Games (well... you have bad taste), but you will love this movie.

What are critics saying?

70

The Hollywood Reporter by

Bloodhounds will lick their lips experiencing the re-launch of Kinji Fukasaku's trendsetting Battle Royale (2000) with 3D effects, which basically make the splatter scenes gorier and stickier.

90

The New York Times by A.O. Scott

American fans of "The Hunger Games" may not embrace - or even be permitted to see - Battle Royale, which is too bad. It is in many ways a better movie and in any case a fascinating companion, drawn from a parallel cultural universe. It is a lot uglier and also, perversely, a lot more fun.

80

Time Out by Joshua Rothkopf

Kinji Fukasaku's slick, sick nightmare is best left to the quasi-banned realm where it exists as a perfect satire; when brought into reality, it's a touch awkward.

90

Variety by Robert Koehler

Departing from two decades' worth of domestic and personal dramas and returning to his roots as Japan's maestro of mayhem, Kinji Fukasaku has delivered a brutal punch to the collective solar plexus with one of his most outrageous and timely films.

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