review by Mr. DuLac Pro
Battle Royale 2001
Watched Apr 29, 2012
Mr. DuLac’s review:
"So today's lesson is, you kill each other off till there's only one left. Nothing's against the rules."
-Teacher Kitano
I was expecting a violent and controversial film. What I wasn't expecting was for it to be so skillfully made with such confidence. Beat Takeshi being in it is just the icing on the cake.
Now turning into a bit of a timeless classic. I clearly remember how exciting this film was when it arrived in the UK. I even organized a screening at our local cinema.
I haven't heard good things about the sequel, but will be watching it this week anyways.
The sequel is a curio at best. The director died halfway through the shooting and you can almost sense the deflation. It also suffers from a more cartoon like presentation but sometimes sequel disasters can be enjoyed. If you got a weird kick out of Exorcist 2: The Heretic then you'll love it.
I'm able to enjoy "bad" movies, especially when it comes to sequels so I should be good. lol
I haven't seen this in quite a long time and didn't know who Beat Tekeshi was back then. I'm going to have to watch this again now realizing he was the teacher.
Good point. Battle Royale is a little window into a brilliant career. Some amazing Yakuza movies from the 70s to seek out.
I just watched this.... holy hell!!