Disturbing Behavior

Starring:James Marsden, Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl, Steve Railsback, Bruce Greenwood, William Sadler, Chad Donella, Ethan Embry, Katharine Isabelle, A.J. Buckley, Crystal Cass, Tygh Runyan, Tobias Mehler, Derek Hamilton, P.J. Prinsloo, Terry David Mulligan, Susan Hogan, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Natassia Malthe, Chris Owens
Director: David Nutter
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Stanley Kubrick's striking visual interpretation of Anthony Burgess's famous novel is a masterpiece. Malcolm McDowell delivers a clever, tongue-in-cheek performance as Alex, the leader of a quartet of droogs, a vicious group of young hoodlums who spend their nights stealing cars, fighting rival gangs, breaking into people's homes, and raping women. While other directors would simply exploit the violent elements of such a film without subtext, Kubrick maintains Burgess's dark, satirical social commentary. We watch Alex transform from a free-roaming miscreant into a convict used in a government experiment that attempts to reform criminals through an unorthodox new medical treatment. The catch, of course, is that this therapy may be nothing better than a quick cure-all for a society plagued by rampant crime. A Clockwork Orange works on many levels--visual, social, political, and sexual--and is one of the few films that hold up under repeated viewings. Kubrick not only presents colorfully arresting images, he also stylizes the film by utilizing classical music (and Wendy Carlos's electronic classical work) to underscore the violent scenes, which even today are disturbing in their display of sheer nihilism. Ironically, many fans of the film have missed that point, sadly being entertained by its brutality rather than being repulsed by it. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews:

A Clockwork Orange.......2007-07-03

Based on the Anthony Burgess novel, Kubrick's cold, pitch-black satire of modern society received an X rating for violence and was yanked from screens by the rattled director after several copycat crimes. Nevertheless, his chilly vision of a morally ambiguous future world picked up Oscar nods for Best Picture and Director. Outfitted in a bowler hat, white jumpsuit, and codpiece, McDowell gives an iconic performance as Alex, a gleeful connoisseur of brutality who enjoys warbling "Singin' in the Rain" while committing vile acts. A cynical but stylish sci-fi cult hit, "Orange" is a disturbing yet intriguing film in a class all its own.

Better Than the Book.......2007-07-03

There are so few movies that are better than the book from which they have been derived, but this is one of the great exceptions. A Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece of a movie, from one of the great masters of movie making. In my estimation, this movie should be on anylist of the best 100 movies ever made--along with Dr. Stranglove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Full Metal Jacket.

Realist, and Atheist High Art.......2007-06-28

Only an escapist mind can deny the truth in this picture. Only a deranged, and mentally brainwashed mind could possibly beleive people are truly good. People, in reality, rape, kill, and murder, even in the name of some dead guy called Jesus Christ. Nowadays, Satanists are doing the most good. Kubrick, a realist director, has seen reality for what it is, and not only does he present us with Alex(a typic, as I call him)(as in a typical) but he makes Alex, who is man, a beautiful monster with his music, and anarchistic ways. Man is a beast, and kubrick has (realistically) shown the beauty of the beast in heat. Also, kubrick invites us to the sub conscious, with his Freudian imagery, such as the "art" penis. Throughout this movie, society is mean to Alex, but he isn't cured, nor did he ever have a disease. He is just MAN.

Another great Kubrick work.......2007-06-15

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I think everyone should see it at least once, there's lessons to be learned here for everyone.

An ode to our humble Narrator and Mr. Kubrick..........2007-06-13

#12 on the list of the 50 greatest heroes and villians sits our good friend and humble narrator...ALEX DeLARGE...all of a terrifying, intriguing, Hateful, loved and feared character that we will never forget! By now you've heard it all fROM every other reviewer but i simply see this movie as one of the most influential viewings i've ever sat thru and i had to chime in. The disturbing nature of this beast is only the basis of it's appeal...futuristic law enforcement in the "Ludovico Technique"...Rape,a Brutal Beating,A fight scene straight from the desk of Vince McMahon, An out and out MURDER make this a difficult film to watch for some...I first saw this at age 10 on Showtime in 1980... i was scared to the point that i couldn't stop watching this brilliant tale of Alex and his 3 "Droogs"...here are some cool side notes on the making of the film: an interesting bit involving the scence where Officer Dim and Officer Georgie beat and stuff Alex's head into a bin filled with water...Malcom McDowell almost truly drowned then as his breathing device failed...wow would that have been "real tragic like"...another cool side note is that at the begining point of talks of making this a movie...Mick Jaegger of the rOLLING sTONES actually bought the rights and had planned on making the film starring himself as Alex and the Stones as the DROOGS..."O'H WHAT A TERRIBLE TRAGeDY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN OH' MY BROTHERS"...Malcolm McDowell still gives me the creeps when i see him...i see Alex...He plays the role of his lifetime that i simply couldn't see anybody else as...The other huge part of the film is the Music...electric synthesized art from Water/Wendy Carlos( the same person...sex change making him...her)and of course LUdwig Van...the bloody 9th that eventually drove Alex thru a top floor window in effort to kill and free himself from the music's sickening torture on him as a response to the Ludovico Technique...He wasn't in the Korova Milk Bar anymore!...Everything from the made up language of NADSAT("Viddy well Lil' Brother...Viddy well") to the music to a brilliant performance and disturbing images of a sac-religeous image of Christ himself to "Ultra Violent images in every possible frame make this a work for the ages that has endured thru the the ultimate test...time......i should only hope for a remake staying true to this brilliant work( i see it inevitable that it be remade)...i hope not, like countless other works...it never stays true to the initial message of the original movie...Kubrick stays with us thru this film as well as the other works he gave us by walking and crashing thru the lines of acceptablity...this is a disturbing 5 star masterpiece of a tradgic 360 of bad to "suedo good" to Ultra Violent Bad again never to be duplicated no matter how many times it is revised...!!!

Average customer rating:

perfect
One Of The Great Ones
Questioning the nature of good and evil
Never gets old.
You Talking To Me?!

Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Diahnne Abbott , Frank Adu , Gino Ardito , Victor Argo , and Garth Avery
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0767830555
Release Date: 1999-06-15

Amazon.com essential video

Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film," Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political, and societal anxiety. Robert De Niro, as the tortured, ex-Marine cab driver Travis Bickle, made movie history with his chilling performance as one of the most memorably intense and vividly realized characters ever committed to film. Bickle is a self-appointed vigilante who views his urban beat as an intolerable cesspool of blighted humanity. He plays guardian angel for a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), but not without violently devastating consequences. This masterpiece, which is not for all tastes, is sure to horrify some viewers, but few could deny the film's lasting power and importance. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

perfect.......2007-06-19

Every aspect of this movie is exceptional.

One Of The Great Ones.......2007-06-05

I have enjoyed a 30 year affair with this film. I watched it again last night and it just keeps getting better. The screenplay is exceptional, the cast flawless, the direction is perfect and it has a world class original score. I have seen it over 100 times by now and it never gets old. It may be the best film depiction of what it must feel like to deteriorate into a paranoid, psychotic state. If you have never seen it and can manage its dark content, it should be on your must see list. Hard to believe that it lost "Best Picture" to Rocky in 1976!

Questioning the nature of good and evil.......2007-04-27

Viewing "Taxi Driver" for the first time recently I'm struck by the feeling that I'm seeing it out of context, and that it suffers by my comparison of it to more recent films rather than films that were its contemporaries. While "Taxi Driver" is a societal-cultural touchstone I never felt compelled to see it and having seen it now doubt I would rush back to see it again. That's not to say it's a bad film, but it is difficult viewing. Director Martin Scorsese certainly captures the nihilism, ambivalence, angst, dislocation, and malaise of the 1970s to a tee. Having grown up in that era, I remember that all too well, and in that respect "Taxi Driver" is a depressing drive down a memory lane I'd rather avoid. The characters also lack nuance or much depth: DeNiro's Travis Bickle is a stereotypical "damaged goods" Vietnam veteran (which I found profoundly insulting), Peter Boyle's Wizard is a hard-boiled, heat-packing NYC cabbie, Jodie Foster is an equally stereotyped drugged out/addled prostitute, and Harvey Kietel's pimp/hustler borders on an ugly ethnic stereotype you'd only find in a movie of this vintage. All border on two-dimensional caricatures and are almost over-the-top.

The thing that bothered me most (and perhaps that was Scorsese's intent) is the amoral ambivalence Scorsese presents here. Politicians are bland and interchangeable, uttering empty platitudes, government is the problem and the solution, Travis is a psycho and a hero. The movie is fairly drenched in shades of gray rather than the moral certainties of black and white - and perhaps that's Scorsese's intention. "Taxi Driver" was a departure from the Hollywood oeuvre that came before it with obvious heroes and villains. The end result is a movie that unsettles and causes us to question the nature of good and evil.

While "taxi Driver" is not a movie I'd care to see again anytime soon please don't misconstrue that to mean I didn't think it is not worth seeing, because everyone should see it. Out of context "Taxi Driver" is hard to sort out and feels more like camp or a send up of the whole 1970s genre of gratuitously violent films. "Taxi Driver" is far deeper than that as Scorsese forces us to move beyond our Manichean obsessions over the concepts of good and evil.

Never gets old........2007-04-12

One of my favorite films. Movie awesome; Scorsese awesome; DeNiro awesome. Everything about the movie...awesome. Other than the movie itself, the DVD extras are pretty interesting. I'm a movie buff, or a dork, so I like to watch the extras. The interviews were fun and learning about DeNiro's dedication to this movie and other movies was pretty cool.

You Talking To Me?!.......2007-03-19

This is my favorite movie of all time. Favorite Actor. Favorite Director. Great Score. New York City when it was N.Y.C. This film historically speaking is an archival documentary of a bygone era when neighborhoods like Clinton were known as Hell's Kitchen and the East Village was Alphabet City.
The main character, Travis Bickle is a lonely out of place Marine Vietnam Vet suffering from post-tramatic stress. He is the hero in the form of an isolated individual, running, running, always running. It is Robert DeNiro's finest performance.
The film also co-stars Harvey Keital as "Sport", a low level street pimp, the type you would like to punch but yet the best character in this film is not the late Peter Boyle as "The Wizard" or the sneak cameo appearance by Martin Scorsese himself but of "Handy Andy" the Traveling Salesman who pitches his salesman routine exquisively.
If there is ever to be made a Part II of Taxi Driver I would like to see it done soon. Perhaps the Broadway lights of the New Times Square will bring back the ghosts of 42nd Street.

Average customer rating:

Underrated
Great Movie
Review
Yup. High School was this bad.
5 stars for genius of idea, 2 stars for implementation problems

Disturbing Behavior
Starring: James Marsden , Katie Holmes , Nick Stahl , Steve Railsback , and Bruce Greenwood
Director: David Nutter
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0792840127
Release Date: 1999-01-05

Amazon.com

This paranoia-fueled thriller, more intelligent and imaginative than you would have reason to believe, owes a huge debt to The Stepford Wives with its premise of a goody-good high school clique programmed by an evil doctor to be wholesome, academically driven, and shining examples of clean living. Unlike its predecessor, though, David Nutter's film opts to open up its premise for everyone to see, diluting the scares but amplifying the creepy atmosphere. There's never any question of what's happening to the students of Cradle Bay High, who go from being druggies and sex fiends to the academically excellent Blue Ribbons, but it's a lot of fun to see these programmed teens run amok--and start killing people--when their hormones kick in. And considering they're all horny teenagers, this happens, oh, at least a few times a day. Model-perfect James Marsden, with stunning cheekbones and piercing blue eyes, is the new kid in town who stumbles on the plot with a little help from metalhead Nick Stahl. Moody Marsden stirs up trouble when he refuses to join up with the Blue Ribbons, prompting his concerned parents to consider signing him up for the program, especially after it turns Stahl into a vest-wearing, pep-rallying brainiac. The satire isn't entirely fulfilled (the evil kids hang out at the yogurt shop and spout inspirational platitudes), but once the action kicks in it's quite an enjoyable ride, thanks primarily to Bruce Greenwood (of The Sweet Hereafter) as the mad scientist behind it all and Katie Holmes (Go) as Marsden's love interest. Refusing the advances of the star football player and fighting gamely alongside Marsden, Holmes manages to deck a few bad guys with a fervor that squarely puts her in Linda Hamilton and Jamie Lee Curtis territory. With Steve Railsback as the colluding chief of police and Dan Zudovic as a janitor with a penchant for getting rid of "rats," rodent and otherwise. --Mark Englehart

Description

Hot stars James Marsden ("Bella Mafia"), Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") and Nick Stahl (The Thin Red Line) set the screen ablaze in this breathlessly fast-paced jolt-fest from veteran "X-Files" director David Nutter. Written by Scott Rosenburg (Con-Air) and featuring a hip soundtrackfrom the hottest bands around, this "clutch-your-armrest thriller" (Teen People) will pull you into the undercurrent of a deranged high school cliqueand drag you away screaming! Achieve, be excellent...and be afraid. For when the esteemed Blue Ribbon club of Cradle Bay High take their slogans too far, things in the small coastal town begin to go wrong. Dead wrong. And when a "dark sinister force" begins turning the school's curricularly challenged into the soulless, academic elitethree "outsiders" join in a desperate race to avoid becoming insidersand losing their individuality forever!

Customer Reviews:

Underrated.......2007-05-27

High School! Yay! If you're like me, you loathe the very mention of "High School". The principal in charge of my school ran the place like a prison. No pop machines. No soft drinks or candy allowed. Need to use the bathroom? Tough. Go when you're walking to your next class. I won't even get into the fact that when I turned eighteen at the beginning of my last year I could legally smoke cigarettes yet for some reason wasn't allowed to even OUTSIDE of the building without receiving some sort of punishment. Of course, after the warden moved on a few years later, the kids there had pop machines, candy machines, and could leave for lunch whenever they felt like it. I'm not bitter about it, really. It's so far in the past that I laugh about my experiences there whenever anyone mentions high school. Which, fortunately, isn't often. My encounters with high school these days largely come to me through movies. It looks like kids today have to go through the same crud I endured years ago. I feel for them. My advice to these poor souls: gut it out. Life gets much, much better in a few years.

None of this nonsense has much to do about anything except to serve as a rather lame introduction to my review of David Nutter's 1998 film "Disturbing Behavior". The movie introduces us to Steve Clark (James Marsden), a young man moving into the small town of Cradle Bay and trying to navigate his way through the social hell that is high school. He quickly meets up with two important characters: Gavin Strick (Nick Stahl) and Rachel Wagner (Katie Holmes). These two kids definitely look the part of outsiders. Strick mumbles a lot and has that old soul look, and Wagner dresses in black and sulks all over the place. Still, the two provide our hero with plenty of information about the various goings on in Cradle Bay High School. In one scene early on in the movie, Strick sits with Clark in the cafeteria and provides a quick run down of the various social cliques. The stoners, car lovers, nerds...you get the idea, except he has different names for them. Gavin makes sure to point out one group in particular, a collection of neatly groomed youngsters he calls "Blue Ribbons". They're the upright, popular kids who also excel in school.

But something is horribly, terribly wrong with the members of the Blue Ribbon gang. Let's call them a cult, actually. As Steve Clark soon learns, the town fell under the sway of one Dr. Edgar Endicott (Bruce Greenwood). He developed a plan, a behavior modification plan, that promises to transform troubled kids into straight arrows. Sounds great, doesn't it? Most of the parents in Cradle Bay think so. The Blue Ribbon cult keeps getting bigger and bigger as more kids fall into the orbit of Endicott's program. There's just one LITTLE problem with the new in crowd. The members have a tendency to erupt into cyclones of violence at the drop of the hat, usually when something excites those darn teenage hormones. Witness the carnage that takes place in a supermarket in one scene, and I think you'll agree that something isn't right here. Clark launches an investigation, spurred on by Gavin's sudden conversion into a Blue Ribboner, and what he finds isn't pretty. Endicott, with the help of Officer Cox (Steve Railsback), is performing bizarre experiments in the field of neurology. I think it's safe to say that brain surgery, behavior modification, and raging hormones lead to one heck of a conclusion.

"Disturbing Behavior" is a lot of fun. The movie achieves heights of ridiculousness, especially during the grand finale, but that didn't stop me from grabbing on to this sucker's horns and riding it until the gruesome end. Let's run over the positives real quick. One, Katie Holmes. She's smoking hot in this film. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for her, but she attains heights of foxiness here I never imagined. Simply gorgeous. It's painful to think she's glued to Mr. Xenu in real life. Two, Nick Stahl is a really good actor. He can take something as goofy as "Disturbing Behavior" and sell it to the audience. Third, what's up with Hollywood and janitors? Between the guy in "The Breakfast Club" and the janitor here that lends a helping hand to Steve and his buddies, Dorien Newberry (William Sadler), it's obvious Tinseltown has a love affair with those pursuing a career in the custodial arts (a nod to Bender there). Four, and finally, it's nice to see Ethan Embry and Katharine Isabelle in small supporting roles. Now let's peruse the negatives. There aren't any, really, unless you count the film's short runtime. "Disturbing Behavior" clocks in at a paltry eighty-four minutes, including credits. Ouch!

The "Disturbing Behavior" DVD contains mucho supplements. We get a music video from The Flys, a commentary track featuring director David Nutter, an alternate ending, and eleven deleted scenes. That's a lot of deleted scenes! They should've just plugged them back into the movie to up the runtime. Anyway, I enjoyed this movie immensely. I remember when it came out back in the late 1990s, and I remember it tanking fast, so I put off seeing it until now thinking that it must have really stunk. The returns were so low that David Nutter has done nothing but television work since the film came out. Well, the critics and theater audiences were wrong; it's a great, entertaining horror flick filled with violence and heavy-handed messages about social conformity. In other words, it's high school with Katie Holmes. By the way, did I mention Katie Holmes is smoking hot? Good. I give this movie five stars. I give Katie ten stars. Good flick.

Great Movie.......2007-04-08

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's really well done without the cheesiness of today's horror movies. There's actually some reality to Disturbing Behavior. Love the movie soundtrack too! This movie is in my top 5.

Review.......2006-03-09

This is a good movie, I really enjoyed the concept. There have been alot of "mind control" movies in the past, but this one was directed by a competent director. David Nutter is known for his brillant work on The X Files, and he has been able to successfully bring his special blend of wit and drama to the big screen with Disturbing Behavior. And Katie Holmes is hot.

Yup. High School was this bad........2006-01-20

"It's a new kind of cool." No, it's not the adolescent Stepford Wives, but a serious commentary on society's demands for conformity in high school and beyond. Nich Stahl puts in a brilliant pre-Carnivale performance in a wonderful film that withstands the scrutiny of miltiple viewings. This is definitely worth the purchase price.

5 stars for genius of idea, 2 stars for implementation problems.......2005-12-03

Most people in these reviews(and everywhere else) bash this film on a level that should be reserved for the Hulk. They either fail to take into account or choose to ignore the fact that it is a rags to riches film in terms of coming from the shallowest, campiest and most cliched of genres(teen movies) to some of the best social commentary and overall psychological creepiness around. First off, the acting, for the lines, is great. Whatever bs the reviewers feed you, they did great with their lines, and this movie still lists on my top ten good bad movies of all time, if not #1.
The Bad Points:
cut a lot of stuff that added depth to the story, though some of it did hurt pacing a lot.
characters needed to be more fleshed out. This is the most common complaint, though it isnt really fair, since almost all movies except super duper high budget ones suffer from things like this, due to time limitations and such from their tight budget.
Campy as all hell, and i loved it. If you dont like campy movies, fine, but dont go in expecting a teen movie to be shakespeare and i wont cut off your breeding rights for the sake of humanity.
Over the top and cliched. The most valid complaint there is. It's really again a question of two things they didnt have: budget/filming time. If they had the budget of even a third of a LotR movie maybe this would have been movie of the year, instead of a campy teen flick. or maybe not. But anyways, it's like being given a broken erector set and doing the best with what you have.

And now the good:

soundtrack: awesome as hell, if you're into rock music at all. If not, the previews should have cued you in. Also totally appropriate to the scenes it plays in, outlining the already painful teen angst and whatnot. Also, the opening music is the most wondrous and at the same time creepy music i have heard and seen, when combined with the visuals of implanting an optic chip.

Social Commentary: stepford wives clone this is not, so please stfu and die. Yes, many of the same ideas, but in a much different direction, different audience, and im sure even that was far from the first in its genre, just the first people remember. It deals with the twisted ins and outs of high school cliques(and much later society, since practically every social power group tries to lord it over everyone else), and the parents obsession with MAKING their children perfect. And how it backfires on them. This really brings parallels to the sad, pathetic war on video games to divert attention from parental responsibility that is going on now.

Atmosphere: like all great horror flicks, whether awesome campy b movies like this one and say, in the mouth of madness, or grade a ones like event horizon, this movie consistently delivers several types of deliciously awesome atmosphere that just seeps into your pores. First off, there is the atmosphere of the outsider, which is what everyone except the shiny happy people have to live through in high school, dealing with being a social(and often literal) punching bag for the high school elite.
Then there is the creepiness, its like one of those great zombie or alien movies, invasion of the body snatchers maybe, when you never know if someone is going to become one until its too late.
Also is the underlying pain of change and such that teenagedom essentially IS, which is underscored by steve's brother, and by his moving to a new hope(cradle bay) only to find that it festers with more psychological rot than the one he left by a wide margin.

Writing: campy but good. Part Army of Darkness, especially in its funny moments, part dawson's creek, and part manchurian candidate, or something, its a great mix of all the manic moments you encounter in those years, from the disturbingly tragic to the funny as hell, but all with pain as the bedrock.

Characters: Awesome. For how cliched and stereotyped this movie can be if you look at it in a high acting style, they work amazingly well in this movie. The director talks about how they all hung out and bonded off screen onset, and i think it really shows in the chemistry they exude in many of the lines. Katie holmes is by far the best, though almost everyone does great here in their stereotypical roles, but especially the major supporting characters are also awesome, as is the main character.

Overall: this movie impacted me so greatly i became obsessive when i first saw it, though admittedly i was a confused teen at the time. My friend has often said that this and another of my favorites, Dark City, are two sides of the same social commentary, dark city being serious, and disturbing behavior being satire. I would say now, that disturbing behavior is that most disturbing of psychopaths, the satirically serious, much like the demon in fallen who sings rolling stones songs all the time. It is a great movie if you like fun, intense, thought provoking, campy or creepy movies like John Carpenter's older stuff, Dark City, Event Horizon, Manchurian Candidate, Cabin Fever, Phantoms, Army of Darkness, etc...

Average customer rating:

Survivor, Japanese Teen Style

Battle Royale I - Special Edition
Starring: Beat Takeshi Kitano , Masanobu Ando , Ai Maeda , Chiaki Kuriyama , and Kou Shibasaki
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
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ASIN: B000A2WDEO
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Album Description

Asian exclusive NTSC/All Code Special Edition DVD! Loaded with Special Features, WowWow Special, Audition, TV Spot, WowWow Trailer, Making Film, Birthday Party, CG, Orchestra Recording, Tokyo Film Festival, Theatrical Trailer, DVD Trailer, Art Gallery, emorial Photo Album, The First Term, 1999. 4 : The Book Was Published, Wowow Special, 1999. 10 ~ 2000. 5 : Audition, 2000. 6 ~ 9 : Shooting, Making Of Birthday Party, Memorial Photo Album. - The Second Term, 2000. 10 : Crank Up, CG, Orchestea Recording, Tokyo Film Festival, 2000. 11 : Marketing, BR Affair, 2000. 12 : Release, Art Gallery, - The Third Term, 2001. 2 : Filming A Special Edition, Making Of, 2001. 3 : Finished, 2001. 4 : Special Edition Release, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spot, Wowow Trailer, DVD Trailer, 'Movie Is A War' Trailer. With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence it's only fitting that Kenta Fukasaku's Battle Royale is being touted as A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese school kids, whose bad behavior provides a justification for the 'punishments' which will ensue. To be honest, anyone who has grown up with Grange Hill will view these aggressive teenagers' acts as pretty moderate, but in the context of Japanese culture, their lack of respect is a challenge to the traditional values of respecting ones elders. Once the prequel has been dispensed with, the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ('Beat' Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate, after an impartial lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the 'Battle Royale'. Their only chance of survival in the 'Battle' is through the death of all their classmates. Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love. The film looks like a war-flick on occasions, with intense Apocalypse Now-style imagery (check out the classical score blasted over the tannoys with sweeping shots of helicopters). Yet, Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities' desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. But whether you view the film as an important social commentary or simply enjoy the adrenalin-fuelled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer game generation and beyond. Widescreen 16:9, DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1, Original Japanese Dialogue with optional English or Korean Subtitles. Tartan Asia. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Survivor, Japanese Teen Style.......2007-06-18

Japan of the future is in crisis. The BR program is one method of solving society's problems. A ninth-grade class is chosen and then dumped on an island. They are given supplies which include a random weapon (gun, axe, bow, etc.). They have an explosive collar locked around their necks which monitors them. The rules are simple. Kill everyone else and don't be in the restricted areas at the right time. If there is no winner in the time allotted, all will be killed.

We get to watch as various members of the class have to come to grips with being hunted and becoming a hunter. It is impossible to survive without killing your friends. Suddenly the class have their lives turned completely upside down as they come to realize that in a few days the best they can hope for is that one of them will survive. Each student deals with this in their own way.

Due to the opening scene (showing the smiling winner) and later comments about smiles, I expected a different ending (or at least one with a few more answers). Mostly this is just an excuse to see teenagers kill one another. I don't know how creating a teen who dislikes authority and is willing to kill will help Japan's problems but it doesn't seem that important to the film. I enjoyed most of the film, but the lackluster ending made me consider that I had wasted my time watching the film. Others may not feel that way. If you want to see Japanese teens doing each other in then this film is definitely for you but if you are looking for solid plotting then this one may disappoint.

A Clockwork Orange (Limited Edition Collector's Set)

Average customer rating:

A Clockwork Orange
Better Than the Book
Realist, and Atheist High Art
Another great Kubrick work
An ode to our humble Narrator and Mr. Kubrick...

A Clockwork Orange (Limited Edition Collector's Set)
Starring: Malcolm McDowell , Patrick Magee , Michael Bates , Warren Clarke , and John Clive
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Creative Design Art
ProductGroup: DVD
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Futuristic | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition)
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
Trainspotting - Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00005LC3X
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A Clockwork Orange.......2007-07-03

Better Than the Book.......2007-07-03

Realist, and Atheist High Art.......2007-06-28

Another great Kubrick work.......2007-06-15

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I think everyone should see it at least once, there's lessons to be learned here for everyone.

An ode to our humble Narrator and Mr. Kubrick..........2007-06-13

Average customer rating:

A Clockwork Orange
Better Than the Book
Realist, and Atheist High Art
Another great Kubrick work
An ode to our humble Narrator and Mr. Kubrick...

A Clockwork Orange
Starring: Malcolm McDowell , Patrick Magee , Michael Bates , Warren Clarke , and John Clive
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Futuristic | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

Landmark Cult Classics | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition)
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
Trainspotting - Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00000J2KS
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A Clockwork Orange.......2007-07-03

Better Than the Book.......2007-07-03

Realist, and Atheist High Art.......2007-06-28

Another great Kubrick work.......2007-06-15

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I think everyone should see it at least once, there's lessons to be learned here for everyone.

An ode to our humble Narrator and Mr. Kubrick..........2007-06-13

Average customer rating:

perfect
One Of The Great Ones
Questioning the nature of good and evil
Never gets old.
You Talking To Me?!

Taxi Driver
Starring: Diahnne Abbott , Frank Adu , Gino Ardito , Victor Argo , and Garth Avery
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Raging Bull (Special Edition)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
GoodFellas (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Deer Hunter (Universal Legacy Series)
Chinatown

ASIN: 0800130928
Release Date: 1997-09-10

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

perfect.......2007-06-19

Every aspect of this movie is exceptional.

One Of The Great Ones.......2007-06-05

Questioning the nature of good and evil.......2007-04-27

Never gets old........2007-04-12

You Talking To Me?!.......2007-03-19

Average customer rating:

Battle Royale I
Starring: Beat Takeshi Kitano , Masanobu Ando , Ai Maeda , Chiaki Kuriyama , and Kou Shibasaki
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Manufacturer: Star Max
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

Underrated
Great Movie
Review
Yup. High School was this bad.
5 stars for genius of idea, 2 stars for implementation problems

Disturbing Behavior [Region 2]
Starring: James Marsden , Katie Holmes , Nick Stahl , Steve Railsback , and Bruce Greenwood
Director: David Nutter
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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The Faculty
Teaching Mrs. Tingle
Gossip
Abandon
Urban Legend

ASIN: B00004RYZ4

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Underrated.......2007-05-27

Great Movie.......2007-04-08

Review.......2006-03-09

Yup. High School was this bad........2006-01-20

5 stars for genius of idea, 2 stars for implementation problems.......2005-12-03

Average customer rating:

perfect
One Of The Great Ones
Questioning the nature of good and evil
Never gets old.
You Talking To Me?!

Taxi Driver
Starring: Diahnne Abbott , Frank Adu , Gino Ardito , Victor Argo , and Robert De Niro
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Raging Bull (Special Edition)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
GoodFellas (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Deer Hunter (Universal Legacy Series)
Chinatown

ASIN: 0800130189
Release Date: 1999-07-13

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

perfect.......2007-06-19

Every aspect of this movie is exceptional.

One Of The Great Ones.......2007-06-05

Questioning the nature of good and evil.......2007-04-27

Never gets old........2007-04-12