Search

Description

Product Description One of the most controversial films in history, now available for the first time ever in America! In 2000, director Kinji Fukasaku unleashed BATTLE ROYALE, his violently poetic epic about an innocent group of Junior High students forced by the government to hunt and kill their classmates for sport. It was nominated for 10 Japanese Academy Awards, launched a global phenomenon, and banned from screens by frightened civic groups and distributors across America. Three years later, the equally disturbing sequel featuring a new class, new rules, and a brutal terrorist plot by the first films young survivors triggered it's own tragic firestorm around the world. Now for the first time ever, you can see it all: Experience the entire BATTLE ROYALE saga on 4 discs including more than 3 hours of definitive Special Features that forever blasts open one of the most potent, shocking and savagely influential sagas in motion picture history. 4 Discs - More Than 3 Hours of Special Features. Review With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence, it's only fitting that Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale is being touted as a Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese schoolchildren, whose bad behavior provides a justification for the "punishments" that will ensue. Once the prequel has been dispensed with, the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ("Beat" Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate: after an impartial lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the "Battle Royale." Their only chance of survival is through the death of all their classmates. Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love. Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities' desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. Whether you consider the film an important social commentary or simply watch it for the adrenaline-fueled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer game generation and beyond. --Nikki Disney

Description

Obayashi's monochromatic dream playfully worships the biker culture of yesteryear, delivering a sentimental and liberating take on young love. Following a painful breakup, macho biker Koh (Riki Takeuchi) skips town and hits the road on his beloved Kawasaki W3 650. On his countryside excursion, he encounters the free-spirited Miyo (Kiwako Harada, older sister of Obayashi favorite Tomoyo Harada) who quickly takes interest in both the leather-clad Koh and his motorbike. Koh and Miyo fall in love even as Miyo's prodigious biking talent and thrill-seeking tendencies heighten Koh's fear that she may push it all too far. A nostalgia-filled reminiscence, Obayashi's monochromatic dream playfully worships the biker culture of yesteryear, delivering a sentimental and liberating take on young love. Bonus Materials High-definition Transfer Audio Commentary by Samm Deighan Becoming the Wind: His Motorbike, Her Island and the Biker Movie - Visual essay by Esther Rosenfield Her Island: Onomichi Pt. 1 - Visual essay by Alex Pratt Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Archival Interview Theatrical Trailers New improved English subtitles New Slipcase design by Sam Smith Reversible sleeve with Japanese original poster art First Pressing includes repro 24-page Japanese booklet (pamphlet) Cast & Crew Actors: Riki Takeuchi Kiwako Harada Noriko Watanabe Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi Top Similar From the Brand Reviews His Motorbike, Her Island