BATTLE ROYALE 2: REVENGE

Ariel shots of an orange-hued Japan are accompanied by panicked transmissions of broadcasters screaming. Bombs explode and a young girl walking through a park with her father turns to witness two skyscrapers crumble to the ground.

This is Japan, three years after the last Battle Royale program ended in disaster. Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara, DEATH NOTE; BATTLE ROYALE), the survivor of the last game, has formed a group calling themselves Wild Seven, who are devoted to waging war upon all grown-ups. The bomb attacks were conducted by his group, who are now the most wanted terrorists in Japan.

Elsewhere in this city under fire, young Shiori (Ai Maeda, BATTLE ROYALE; AZUMI 2) contemplates a violent painting crafted by her late father. Her dad just happened to be Kitano, the teacher who led Shuya's class to mass slaughter in the first film. Shiori's narration speaks soberly of how her father was killed by Shuya, and that she plans to register to take part in the Government's newly proposed Battle Royale 2 Act - to honour his memory.

And so Shiori transfers to a school for delinquents, who are taken on a road trip one day near Christmas by their similarly misfit teacher Riki (Riki Takeuchi, DEAD OR ALIVE). The kids wake in the night to discover they have all had steel collars placed around their necks. Outside their school bus the press mingle rabidly with soldiers. The kids are ushered into a military base and lined up in front of Riki, who explains their purpose: they've been chosen as the first to kickstart the newly revamped Battle Royale.

After a timely speech on international terrorism, Riki informs his class that Japan's most feared terrorist - Shuya - is hiding out on the nearby Sentan Island. The schoolkids' mission is to attack the island and kill Shuya within three days. Shiori, in particular, shows great interest when Riki discusses Shuya's whereabouts ...

After a bit of tomfoolery that recalls the original film (exploding collars, kids trying to rebel but ultimately being beaten or terrified into complying), the kids are promptly shipped to Sentan Island. Embarking onto its beach, the classmates are immediately greeted with heavy gunfire in shaky footage which is extremely reminiscent of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. As with it's predecessor, BATTLE ROYALE 2 keeps a running tally of the dead onscreen.

By the time the kids have made it past the beach, half of their class is dead! The survivors hide out in a derelict building and gather their thoughts - attractive young couple Nao (Ayana Sakai, DEVILMAN) and Takuma (Shugo Oshinari, TOMIE: REBIRTH; BLUE SPRING) come to the fore as central characters. Don't forget about Shiori though, always brooding with her hidden agenda in the background ...

As the kids find ammunition and proceed to Shuya's hideout, Shuya's cohort Maki (Yoko Maki, THE GRUDGE) views them through a telescopic sight - and realises they are wearing very familiar steel collars. So, will Shuya decide to join forces with the kids and wage an all-out war against the adults?

Of course.

Bigger, louder, flashier and gorier than the original, BATTLE ROYALE 2 looks superb. It's visually stunning and obviously made with a higher budget than it's predecessor. The locations, the sets, the widescreen photography - the look of this movie has "blockbuster" written all over it.

The acting from the young cast is very impressive. Oshinari and Sakai are a likeable leading couple, while Fujiwara brings back the sadness and begrudgingly violent confusion that his character suffered in BATTLE ROYALE. Takeuchi, on the other hand, lets the adults down. He sneers throughout the film and looks stupid as a consequence. At the heart of BATTLE ROYALE's insanity was a cleverly restrained performance from Takeshi Kitano as the teacher, breathing disguised admiration and respect into his role. Takeuchi ignores this, and goes for manic, sweaty overacting instead. It's a shame, he robs the film of a soul.

Kenta Fukasaku (who completed the film when his father Kinji died) handles the frequent action scenes expertly, with a lot of hand-held camera work helping to really throw the viewer into the grit. Tension is never really sustained, as Fukasaku is always too eager to reach his gory punchline. But that's what the BATTLE ROYALE films are all about - high octane, bloody violence, computer game-style. Oh, with a bit of social commentary/satire thrown in to give the violence a "purpose".

But BATTLE ROYALE 2 is not as good as the first film. The director's cut is overly long at 152 minutes, and the action - as well-shot and choreographed as it is - is so frequent it becomes ineffective towards the end. The sentimental messages throughout the movie (a rugby ball signed by all the classmates; the "where there's hope there's a future" onscreen scribblings) are sickly, and with Takeushi leering throughout, the humanity of Kitano's character is sorely missed.

Tartan's Special Edition comes in a collectable metal tin and has a whopping 3 discs. Included are both versions of the film (the original theatrical cut entitled BATTLE ROYALE 2: REQIUEM and the extended director's cut) and extras including a Making Of, trailers, TV spot, postcards and a film cell. The version I viewed was a screener disc of the extended director's cut.

The anamorphic 1.85:1 image on the disc is, of course, outstanding. Pin-sharp, bright, clear and colourful. Magnificent. Similarly, the Japanese audio - available in 2.0, 5.1 and 5.1 DTS mixes - is even, consistent, and, most importantly, rousing! Removable English subtitles are easy to read and error-free.

Animated menus include access to the film via 16 chapters.

Great presentation from Tartan. As for the film, if it's no-nonsense, bloodthirsty action you want - with gorgeous photography - then look no further. A worthy, if flawed, sequel.

Review by Stu Willis