In Japan, the 9th grade students in class 3B set off on a field trip. However, along the way they are gassed and end up on an abandoned island. They are selected to participate in the Battle Royale as part of the BR Act. They are wearing collars to track their movements and given a pack with a weapon or tool. They will have 3 days to kill or be killed, with only the victor returning home. They receive updates 4 times a day with the areas to avoid and the death toll, read with glee by their former teacher Kitano (Takeshi).
The class includes two transfer students, violent Kazuo Kiriyama (Ando) and brooding Shogo Kawada (Yamamoto). Shuya Nanahara (Fujiwara) is devastated by the death of his best friend and vows to protect the girl they both love, Noriko Nakagawa (Maeda). Shinji Mimura (Tsukamoto) has a plan to subvert the game, while Hiroki Sugimura (Takaoka) has a valuable tool: a GPS device to locate the others. Some students, like Mitsuko Souma (Shibasaki) enjoy the kill, while others band together and hope to survive. Who will survive the 3 days?
In 1999, Japanese author Koushun Takami wrote novel "Batoru Rowaiaru". He wrote the novel in 1996, but due to it's controversial content it took until 1999 for it to be published. The novel was a best-seller and liked by critics and audiences alike. The novel was translated into English in 2003. The story was also turned into a manga in 2000 to 2005. The film and novel has a cult following.
Due to it's popularity it was adapted to film in 2000 with Kinji Fukasaku in the director's chair. Fukasaku, and his son Kenta Fukasaku, also directed the sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem (which also had a manga).
After the release of the "Hunger Games" books and films, fans have noticed the similarities between the plots. "The Hunger Games" series has been criticized for it's similarities to this film. However, this film has a higher body count and action / violence, it also has a larger group involved in the "game". It starts with 42 students, and as each is killed, their name and number are listed at the bottom of the screen along with the number of students remaining in the game.
The film was not released in North America, due to it's proximity to the Columbine shootings. It is possible to see the film at film festivals or online through Netflix or Amazon. I only discovered this film through a blog I read, and when I was doing research for the "Hunger Game" films. I would be interested in reading the novel and I just added the sequel to my Netflix queue. The film is in Japanese with subtitles.
Battle Royale [Batoru rowaiaru] (2000) 113 minutes
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara as Shuya Nanahara
Aku Maeda as Noriko Nakagawa
Taro Yamamoto as Shogo Kawada
Masanobu Ando as Kazuo Kiriyama
Kou Shibasaki as Mitsuko Souma
Takashi Tsukamoto as Shinji Mimura
Sosuke Takaoka as Hiroki Sugimura
Chiaki Kuriyama as Takako Chigusa
Eri Ishikawa as Yukie Utsumi
Hitomi Hyuga as Yuko Sakaki
Bito Takeshi as Kitano
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