Movie Description
Battle Royale II: Requiem is a 2003 Japanese dystopian action film and a sequel to the 2000 film Battle Royale, which in turn was based upon a controversial 1999 novel of the same title by Koushun Takami. A novelization of the film was written by McKoy Sugie.
Director Kinji Fukasaku, who helmed the original, started production but died of prostate cancer on 12 January 2003, after shooting only one scene with Takeshi Kitano. His son Kenta Fukasaku, who wrote the screenplay for both films, completed it in his directorial debut and dedicated it to his father. Unlike the first film, Requiem is an original story. It is set three years after the events of the original film and follows Shuya Nanahara, who has now become an international terrorist intending to bring down the Japanese government. As a result, another class of ninth graders is kidnapped and sent to eliminate Nanahara within a limited time period of 72 hours.
The film was released in Japanese cinemas on 5 July 2003. In stark contrast to its predecessor, it drew largely negative responses from critics. In 2009, an extended version entitled Revenge, which runs 20 minutes longer than the theatrical cut, was released on DVD. It included additional action, improved effects, slow motion shots, new score in several scenes and extended storyline.