Today's Lesson...You Kill Each Other Off

So I'm an unabashed fan of movie violence. Before the credits roll you can bet your bottom dollar that if the movie wasn't slapstick comedy I was looking forward to some honest to goodness action. That because nine times out of ten when I actually sit down to see a film, I either want something that'll get a chuckle out of me or otherwise hold my interest. Not that I have anything against romance, drama, suspense or intrigue - they just usually don't have that pacing.

What kind of pacing? Something like Jackie Chan pacing. Action with a hint of fun to it. You can pick up any one of his films (good or bad) and be ready for the wackiest improvised weapons. And while it's oft goofy, it holds more entertainment value for me than the more serious alternatives like, say...Jet Li.

Something like Kill Bill pacing. And I know more than one friend will tear into this title and point out scene by scene where Tarantino ripped off his ideas, it boiled down to my kind of film again - action, with a hint of fun.

Which is why it's kind of odd how I managed to overlook a gem getting so old it can nearly attest to being around a decade. I talk of Battle Royale, of course.

For those who, like me until just recently, have not heard of this movie, I'll suss it up real quick. In the future, Japan suffers an economic crisis that leads to a rebellious and out of control youth. The government passes the "BR Act", giving them right to hold an annual event. The participants? A random ninth grade high school class. The event? A game of survival. The kids are transported to a remote island where they are given three days to kill one another. The last one alive wins the right to return to society.

Now, the premise might be a little unsettling from anyone still reeling from the recent Virgina Tech shootings, but at base level Battle Royale is more brutish telling of Lord of the Flies. Being handed a gun and told to gun down their classmates is far from what any of the students initially desire - and that is what made the movie an enjoyable watch. Seeing how each student handled the fate thrust upon them, watching some making stands, watching others being unable to cope and choosing suicide, watching the handful that become killers. It's certainly not humane...but entertaining.

Perhaps I've become too desensitized over the years?