Some films would just never get made in the good ole' US of A. Battle Royale my fiends is most certainly one of them. Battle Royale is a film that has many faces, or dare I say wears many hats. Whether it's that of horror, or action, or black comedy, you name it and it's represented here. It's not hard for me to say that Battle Royale is one of the most disturbing movies to be released in quite some time. Disturbing yes, and at the same time compelling and extremely entertaining.

A busload of 9th graders is hijacked and taken to a deserted island. This is where the kids will have to take part in what is called the Battle Royale, a government mandated fight to the death. The rules are simple, either one person is left standing after 3 days or they all die (due to explosive electronic devices they wear around their necks). It seems that in the not too distant future, the BR Act was passed (hence Battle Royale), due to the high volume of unemployment, and poor attitudes among today's youth (hundreds of thousands of them are skipping school, rioting, etc.). The Battle Royale is the radical solution the "adults" have come up with. Each child is given a different "weapon" (everything from guns, sickles or crossbows to a lid from a pot or binoculars) and dropped onto the island. They are given frequent updates as to who has been killed as well as danger zones they should stay away from. Of course very few of them want to fight, let alone kill, however, it doesn't take long for the fear of not surviving to take over. Even cliques, who vow to stick together, eventually turn on one another.

Takeshi Kitano (Sonatine, Brother, Violent Cop) stars as the villainous mastermind in charge of the whole operation and he's spectacular as usual. With well over 40 kids starring, the filmmakers had their work cut out for them. Somehow they manage to grab incredible performances from all involved. This is definitely the most talented group of youngsters you will ever see. They are the true stars of this film, and deserve all the credit. With only a brief glimpse of some of the kids before their demise, we get just enough from them and their interactions with others to emotionally connect, and empathize with their situation. As the viewer, we care and this is the key that fits the lock, and brings it all together.

Battle Royale is not a film for everyone, but since you're here at Monsters at Play, I'm going to assume it may be a film for you. This is a brutally violent film, and for the most part, it's the kids who are doing the killing as well as being killed. Even more disturbing are the tongue in cheek elements thrown in for good measure, like the training video the kids watch before the battle begins. This is filmmaking at it's finest, and fans of the genre need to check this one out. Not wholly original (Running Man anyone?), Battle Royale holds its own and is truly inventive entartainment in its own right.

Battle Royale is presented in what appears to be a 1.85:1 aspect ratio (it's not marked on the packaging anywhere) and it looks damn good. Not a scratch or a spec is evident. A minimal amount of film grain can be seen, primarily during the darker night scenes. The transfer may be a bit bright, but this can be fixed with a few minor adjustments to your TV or monitor.

Sound is equally impressive. We have the choice of 5.1 or DTS (and 2.0 for those of you in the audio stone age), both sound incredible, with the DTS track having a slight advantage over the 5.1 track. Nice big readable and most importantly removable subs for those of us who only speak English. The soundtrack thunders, and the film contains a great score to go along with it.

Extras include a brief Kitano Bio, and trailers for both Battle Royale and Tales of the Unusual, neither is in English. For the nice price of 15 bucks, you should really head on over to Poker Industries and pick yourself up a copy of this incredible film. Don't forget to tell 'em your good fiends at Monsters at Play sent ya!

Note: Battle Royale is a Region 3 DVD. You will need a multi region player in order to appreciate this fine film, otherwise, it simply will not work.