Battle Royale: Limited Edition

This limited edition release of one of contemporary Japanese cinema's key releases comes with enough extras to make even the most ardent completist swoon, but it is a moot point how much light they cast on this pitch-black, teasingly allegorical fable. Set in the near future, after Japan has gone through some form of societal collapse, a class of teenagers find that their school trip has taken a drastic turn for the worse. They are informed by their embittered former teacher (Takeshi Kitano) that “today's lesson is you kill each other off”.

They have entered the world of Battle Royale, a government-organised fight to the death on a deserted island, from which the last survivor will emerge to a hero's welcome from an expectant nation. What follows is a unsettling mix of shocking violence, inappropriate comedy, adolescent romance and pulp philosophy, all set to a lush score of popular classics. Baffling and unforgettable. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]