Director: Kinji Fukasaku

‘Battle Royale’ is a fast-paced, intense and emotionally charged film that goes where most filmmakers would never dare and produces a highly recommended movie for fans of all genres.

The core concept remains relatively fresh and the switch in style to more of a war-like epic works in the film’s favour.

What prevents Battles Without Honour and Humanity from being a true masterpiece is its confused, muddled plot.

With brains, brawn and cool, cruel style to spare, ‘Japan Organized Crime Boss’ is a fantastic entry point to Fukasaku’s earlier movies.

Not the best of its kind and it drags a little too much with the running time, ‘Shogun’s Samurai’ is still a decent slice of Samurai drama from a time when they used to make them big.

A knockabout punch-up of a movie, ‘Street Mobster’ flamboyantly bloodies the audience’s nose with its raw brutality and antisocial behaviour.

You will probably have to be in a certain mood to watch a film as pessimistic as this, but the reward is an excellent piece of entertainment with plenty of food for thought.