Battle Royale is a unique action flick that roars onto the screen with the subtlety of a shotgun blast to the head.

Set in a future in which Japanese adolescents are spiralling out of control, the authorities make an example of a 9th grade high school class by spiriting them away to an uninhabited island to participate in the contest of the title.

The rules are simple - 42 students are provided with basic supplies and weapons ranging from machine guns to dustbin lids, and are invited to deep-six their classmates over a 3 day period.

The last man (or woman) standing is deemed fit to rejoin society, while the rest earn a one-way ticket to the great beyond.