20 Most Rewatchable Movies Of The 2000s

Kinji Fukasaku’s dystopian action horror Battle Royale turns 26 this year, and in the years since release, the modern classic has been copied left, right, and centre. But no matter how many Hunger Games films they throw at us, there’s no beating the true original.

The picture follows Japanese students Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara), Noriko (Aki Maeda), and the rest of their high school class, who have been selected to fight in the annual Battle Royale by their totalitarian government. They have three days, a booby-trapped island, and a bag of supplies, including one random weapon per student – and if there isn’t a clear victor by the end of it, the explosive collars they wear around their necks will be the deciding factor.

One would think it might be a trial to watch teenagers slaughter each other to a man, and yet Fukasaku manages to balance the serious nature of the premise with tantalising action and horror sequences. The script keeps us on our toes, using twists, turns, wildcard players, and often baffling character actions that access the dark heart of the human condition, all of which means that even after ten viewings there are still nuances we don’t recall. It’s stylish, cool, and, despite all the violence, really good fun, demanding to be watched on repeat.