Review of Battle Royale

Introduction

At the turn of the Millenium, we see a near-apocalyptic Japan with huge unemployment and a failing education system. To curb the truancy rates in the schools, the government implements the Battle Royale Act: one randomly chosen class of schoolchildren a year are put onto an island with a few weapons, and only one surviving `winner` is allowed to leave.

As part of Tartan’s Asia Extreme range, Battle Royale is extremely violent and was very close to being banned both in the UK and the US. But does the hype justify the movie?

Video

The transfer, whilst certainly not bad in parts, is also not up to the same level as other recent releases. The picture is fairly sharp and free from print marks, but some of the nighttime scenes have less-than-solid blacks and poor contrast. The colours are muted too, but this is perhaps befitting of the cynical scenario the film suggests. Overall a good picture, but not amongst the best. Battle Royale is presented in 1.85 anamorphic widescreen.

Audio

The original Japanese 2.0 stereo track is included here, and all in all is quite good. The track is free from hiss and background noise, and reproduces explosions and gunshots with a good amount of bass. It’s a shame however, that the full DD 5.1 treatment wasn’t given to Battle Royale, as it is a film that could have really benefited from it.

The English subtitles are burnt-in, so if you are fluent in Japanese you will have to bear with them. Fortunately for the rest of us, Tartan have made a good set of subs (unlike, for instance, in their "La Haine") that are white with black outline, and so are readable on any colour background.

Features

Unfortunately only a sparse set of extras is included here. The filmographies for the stars and director are just what you would expect, as is the stills gallery and the original theatrical trailer. There is also a short 4-page essay by Mark Wyatt on the film. Finally, the best ‘extra’ on the disc are five trailers for Tartan’s Asia Extreme range: Japanese quartet Ring, Ring 2, Ring 0, Audition, and Korean fight-fest Nowhere to Hide. Any fans of Battle Royale should definitely check out Audition and the Ring series.

Conclusion

Battle Royale is a superb movie, working as both a satire against the education system and as a fantastic piece of entertainment. The best complement that I can give this film is that it mixes action with a moral story so well it’s like a cross between “The Running Man” and “A Clockwork Orange” – high praise indeed! The violence is gloriously macabre – anyone liking the sort of stuff seen in Beat Takeshi films or suchlike will love this.

It’s a shame we have such a small set of extras included with this release, especially considering its infamous reputation – a director’s commentary, or at least a few interviews, would have been fantastic. Perhaps, since Battle Royale has such a large cult following, we might see a Special Edition sometime in the near future - note region 1 still hasn`t announced a release. Until then, this R0 Tartan release is the version to get, unless you NEED to have the DTS track (at expense of the picture) present on the Japanese disc.