BATTLE ROYALE II: REQUIEM (Batoru Rowairu II: Chinkonka)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Dolby Digital
Under the new Battle Royale Act, a group of unruly juveniles is taken to a remote island and forced to engage in mortal combat with another set of teenagers who have defied the Act by engaging in militant activities.
Disappointing sequel to the magnificent BATTLE ROYALE (2000), completed by Kenta Fukasaku following the death of his father Kinji during production. The movie is no less bombastic than its predecessor, though it lacks the element of surprise and is further weakened by a meandering plot line which heads in fairly obvious directions. More controversially, Fukasaku's script (co-written with Norio Kida) launches a blistering - though indirect - attack on American foreign policy, which it blames for fomenting unrest in Arab nations, leading to the events of 11 September 2001 and subsequent terrorist attacks on international targets. This probably accounts for the film's lack of exposure in American theaters!
Teen idol Tatsuya Fujiwara makes a welcome return from the first film, playing the disillusioned leader of an uprising against 'fascist' adults and their murderous regulations, and 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano appears briefly in a minor cameo. However, the film is undermined by Riki Takeuchi as the former teacher with a grudge against Fujiwara's rebellious clan, giving a cartoonish performance as the chief villain.
(Japanese dialogue)
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