20 Most Controversial Movies Since 2000

19. Battle Royale

In an authoritarian Japan of the near future, each year a class of schoolchildren are selected to participate in Battle Royale - sent to a remote island, each student is equipped with a weapon and forced to compete in a deadly game where only the last person standing will make if off the island alive. Masterfully directed by Kinji Fukasaku and with a wonderful cameo from the legendary actor/director Takeshi Kitano, Battle Royale pushes the boundaries of on-screen violence like few other films before or since.

The source of its controversy is clear - had the movie featured adults committing the atrocities we see it's unlikely the censors would have batted an eyelid, but since the carnage is carried out by kids it's a different story. Battle Royale was banned in a number of countries on its release, labeled "crude and tasteless" by the Japanese authorities and took eleven years before it was officially released in the US and Canada. All of which was something of an overreaction - Battle Royale's real strengths, beyond the subversive violence, lies is in its scathing commentary on politics and society, not to mention the fact that it's a whole lot of fun to boot.