Reviewer's Rating 3 out of 5
Battle Royale DVD (2001)

You don't engage with "Battle Royale" and come out with your sanity unscathed, but how will your DVD player feel about the DVD release? Probably just fine, actually.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture This is not the most pristine print used for the transfer, but at least the picture quality is quite reasonable, coping well with the overall dark tones of the film.

Sound The 2.0 mono sound is hardly exciting, but it's clear and robust enough to withstand the assault of screams and bullets that get thrown at it.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Mark Wyatt Film Notes Mark has provided notes for quite a few Metro Tartan titles now. They're handy for Z-grade DVD hacks when they just don't understand what the hell they've just watched. For you, Mr and Mrs Punter, there's a little bit of likely interest for you to read over about the controversy the film generated in Japan.

Additional Extra Features Cast and crew filmographies, a small stills gallery of promotional items for the film, including a fizzy pop can! The original release trailer (which uses the same music as the somewhat milder "Cliffhanger"), and a trailer gallery for Tartan's Extreme Asia label.

Region: 0
Chapters: 20
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono)
Extra Features: Scene selection, animated menus, and subtitles.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.

End Credits

Director: Kinji Fukasaku

Writer: Kenta Fukasaku

Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Masanobu Ando, Kou Shibasaki

Genre: Drama, World Cinema

Length: 113 minutes

Cinema: 14 September 2001

DVD: 21 January 2002

Country: Japan