Battle Royale is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, based on the novel of the same name by Koushun Takami. The movie is set in a dystopian alternate timeline where Japan has become a police state. In response to rampant juvenile delinquency, the government passes the "Battle Royale Act," which randomly selects a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to participate in a televised battle to the death on an isolated island.
The students are fitted with explosive collars that will detonate if they attempt to escape or violate the rules of the game, which are explained to them by a former winner of the Battle Royale. Each student is given a randomly assigned weapon or survival tool and must kill their classmates until only one is left standing.
The movie follows the main character, Shuya Nanahara, and his friends as they attempt to survive the brutal game and uncover the government's true intentions behind the Battle Royale Act. Throughout the course of the movie, the students not only have to fight each other, but they also face hunger, dehydration, and the psychological toll of killing their classmates.
Despite the controversial premise, Battle Royale was a commercial and critical success in Japan and gained a cult following worldwide. The movie has been praised for its social commentary on authoritarianism, conformity, and the corruption of the government.