Audience Member
An interesting movie, something kind of like Battle Royale, but without being forced onto an island.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/27/23
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Audience Member
One sentence summary: Bad Japanese high school fighting movie, with no adult supervision in evidence.
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Fujiwara, president at a Tokyo school, becomes a target listed on a website. He seeks to find out why. He has become part of a game, involuntarily, where others wish to learn his 'secret' for points and prizes.
Running and fighting are frequent activities. He helps a girl named Yoko, and finds those willing to be allies. He is reluctant to join others.
He has a secret that he must protect, and figures that he must win the game.
That does not work out well.
----Scores----
Cinematography: 5/10 Grainy, soft focus, odd filters. Jumpy framing. Zooming errors. Sections that are dark with low contrast.
Sound: 5/10 Badly recorded, irritating, industrial techno music.
Acting: 3/10 Running, jumping, screaming, fighting, leering, mugging. Not much dialogue. Much of what little there is is taunting by bullies and murderers.
Screenplay: 3/10 Motivations seem murky throughout the film. The protagonist seemed dissociated from school, parents, food, a place to sleep, and shower after about twenty minutes. The game was the thing, and the winners of the game seem to be the best bullies. Oddly, there seem to be no interactions with police, even considering the multiple murders committed in the name of the game.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Quite the interesting film. The Camera Work is Crap, but it has a good and mysterious story and some really enjoyable fight/stunt choreography. I would describe it as "Japanese High School Fight Club"
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
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Audience Member
Comparisons to Battle Royale are sorely mistaken ...
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The inferior cousin of Battle Royale
Still, I reckon it's worth a watch, if only because the protagonist Fujiwara isn't your typical knight in shining armour who does everything to protect the damsel in distress. In fact, he exploits her, only to be duped at the end. The characters are all not fleshed out but it was interesting to watch how he gave in to his dark streak and decidedly turned immoral, if you get what I mean.
I actually enjoyed the fighting scenes--or scuffles if you're aiming for a more apt description. it felt raw and real, nothing like the beautifully choreographed scenes in its counterparts like Wing Chun and Ong Bak. Though the effect was kinda spolit for me because the defining fighting scene was complemented with this cheesy music that reeked of a Street Fighter sequence devoid of any intensity. But well, I can't expect the movie director to appeal entirely to my taste, right.
On a more serious note, I just hope that bullying isn't as serious an issue in Japanese schools as is depicted in this movie:(
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
For high schooler Fujiwara, everything in life seems to be going according to plan. He?s good-looking, popular, doing well in his studies and, most importantly, is a good fighter and is therefore able to avoid the attentions of any bullies looking for trouble. His idyll suddenly ends, however, when he is unexpectedly attacked by a group of fellow students, seemingly without any provocation. His investigation into the attack leads him to the discovery of a series of underground websites linking to known social networking sites and to a mysterious and very violent game that is being spread through the students? mobile phone networks. Forced against his will to join in the game in order to prevent his deepest and darkest personal secret from being revealed to the entire school, Fujiwara becomes a key part of a puzzle that is becoming deadlier by the hour. Soon, he is involved in a fight for his life for reasons still unknown to him. But the terrifying truth is about to be revealed.
A bit of a misleading title as there's hardly any gore in it. It tries to be the next Battle Royale but doesn't come close to it. Despite it's failings, I still found it quite an interesting movie filled with some decent fights and chase sequences. There's hardly any character development until the end when Fujiwara's dark secret is finally revealed. The acting is adequate but nothing special. Overall it's worth taking a look but don't expect anything as special as Battle Royale.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
Full Review
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