(2001 - Japan) dir: Kinji Fukasaku; w/ Takeshi Kitano, Tatsuya Fujihara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto. No skin; lotsa blood. · · · A class of high school kids finds themselves dumped on an island and told to kill each other off because only the last survivor will be given freedom. And it's all part of the government's plan to thin the herd of rebellious youth. The flick is violent, gory, and an elaborate joke, of course. The flick's premise is far from the most bizarre thing here. While these kids go about killing each other -- with great gusto, I might add -- they are also going through all the teen angst, puppy love, and clique rivalries that you'd expect to see in a dozen beach party movies. This is partly just a wacky tale that fills in the generation gap with blood; but it is also a broad satire that not only mocks the establishment's distrust of youth, but also mocks youth for the deadly seriousness they attach to issues that seem petty to adults. Most of these kids don't kill each other just to survive, they kill for jealousy, spite, or to avenge social embarrassments. And, naturally, the film has a legion of young fans who take it quite, um, seriously. But I can't escape the conclusion that Kinji had his tongue firmly in cheek here and was determined to laugh at all of us...
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timeasmymeasure
Now, is THIS what you're talking about?
Date: 2005-12-24 09:06 pm (UTC)BATTLE ROYALE (http://www.cathuria.com/bcd/bcnewest.htm)
(2001 - Japan) dir: Kinji Fukasaku; w/ Takeshi Kitano, Tatsuya Fujihara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto. No skin; lotsa blood. · · · A class of high school kids finds themselves dumped on an island and told to kill each other off because only the last survivor will be given freedom. And it's all part of the government's plan to thin the herd of rebellious youth. The flick is violent, gory, and an elaborate joke, of course. The flick's premise is far from the most bizarre thing here. While these kids go about killing each other -- with great gusto, I might add -- they are also going through all the teen angst, puppy love, and clique rivalries that you'd expect to see in a dozen beach party movies. This is partly just a wacky tale that fills in the generation gap with blood; but it is also a broad satire that not only mocks the establishment's distrust of youth, but also mocks youth for the deadly seriousness they attach to issues that seem petty to adults. Most of these kids don't kill each other just to survive, they kill for jealousy, spite, or to avenge social embarrassments. And, naturally, the film has a legion of young fans who take it quite, um, seriously. But I can't escape the conclusion that Kinji had his tongue firmly in cheek here and was determined to laugh at all of us...