Scrap Heaven (Japan Version - English Subtitles) DVD Region 2

The film begins by introducing our three main characters. Kasuya (Kase Ryo) is an admin clerk on the police force who is trying to get onto the homicide division, Tetsu (Odagiri Joe) is a "professional" toilet cleaner, and Saki (Kuriyami Chiaki) works at a pharmaceutical company. One evening, while on the way home, the three of them happen to meet on a bus that has just been hijacked by a suicidal political secretary. Forcing them to play Jan Ken Pyon (Rock, paper, scissors), he starts a cruel game of Russian Roulette in which Tetsu turns out to be the unlucky one. After the gunman has an awkward encounter with Saki, he turns the gun on himself. The film then picks up three months later. Kasuya is still traumatized by the incident, which has left him unable to sleep properly, so he visits Saki's workplace to get the appropriate medication. On his way home he spots Tetsu who survived his ordeal and is now getting into fights with local pushers trying to accost young women for their sexual services. Using his means as an officer, Kasuya saves Tetsu from a certain demise and in turn Tetsu repays him by presenting an enticing alternative to his boring day job. Tetsu has recently come up with a revenge-for-hire plan. Working out of a toilet stall, they advertise for anyone with a problem to visit them upon which they'll take appropriate measures to rectify things. Meanwhile, Saki is attempting to create a liquid bomb and, like Tetsu and Kasuya, she wishes to use it to get back at a society held responsible for placing their lives in danger.

Lee Sang Il's Scrap Heaven is an interesting but awkwardly divided piece of work. As a film that depicts three young and quirky characters that abuse the system in order to gain satisfaction for what is ultimately missing in their own lives, it's very funny, even hilarious at times. Had the film simply stuck with this simple narrative, then we'd be looking at a picture of utmost brilliance. For its first hour, when the picture rallies off a series of fun skits about Kasuya and Tetsu's revenge-for-hire business taking on cases involving child abuse and medical mishaps, we're treated to some very laugh out load moments, despite a feeling of immense immaturity. It's here that Lee's characters relish their new found calling in life as they follow a path of self-righteousness that just happens to afford them huge amounts of pleasure, more so than any amount of cash they might receive for their services. It works nicely because the reality of it is that these actions are generally just small potatoes, nothing that's largely threatening to the entire world. Meanwhile we have Saki, who, when left to her own devices, tinkers away at trying to build the ultimate bomb, which again gives her an unprecedented amount of satisfaction, though certainly it's the beginning of a much darker leaning. These moments account for an extremely energetic film in which the viewer happily goes along for the ride, even liking the central characters despite knowing that they probably shouldn't. Though Lee doesn't build upon any given character to a great extent, he easily establishes their situation in life and builds a respectable enough commentary.

Lee Sang Il shouldn't really have too much difficulty fleshing out the three protagonists - I could even go so far as to say antagonists. He has close to two hours with which to produce a satisfying take on each individual. Clearly though his main interest lies with Tetsu and Kasuya; this leaves Saki to flit in and out of the picture, making her one of the more mysterious additions to the film. Each character is fairly basic - Tetsu with his deluded philosophies, Kasuya with his heroic daydreams whilst being stuck in a dead end job, and Saki, the vulnerable, introverted girl. Much of the first half doesn't deal with convoluted plot strands but, as the director gets into the second half of the picture, he tries to work in an understated romantic element that he'd merely hinted at earlier on. It's difficult for the audience to become wrapped up in Kasuya and Saki's relationship because it's filled with little more than obscure moments, although there does seem to be a sense of purpose in that Kasuya and Saki, who are obviously single and alone, can find someone else in life for comfort. But again, the brief and ambiguous nature in which it plays out stops the inclusion from generating anything but indifferent feelings.

It's when Scrap Heaven heads towards the final forty minutes that things take a dramatic turn, and suddenly we're left with a less than subtle piece of cinema in which several ideas are scattered. Not only do these characters' motives begin to break down and make less sense than initially expected, but so too does Lee's direction. After such an incredible build up, when it comes down to it, we're addressed with subjects relating to suicide and individual stances towards righting the wrongs of the world. These points are simply presented by Scrap Heaven, especially when suddenly the people who were just having a laugh now feel the need to become involved in serious law enforcement and government matters; as a whole, the film does very little to address them in any worthwhile manner. For a film purportedly interested in providing social commentary and giving meaning to the characters' actions, it seems lost as to its actual agenda. The main problem is that the sudden shift in attitudes, with regards to Tetsu above all, tries to cotton on to a grander scheme, and yet these characters are not truly nihilistic people. Tetsu begins to spout what he thinks are wise and philosophical words as he bangs on about changing the world with some kind of political intent. But in fact he's done none of this. If Lee Sang Il's goal is to highlight the pretentiousness of people such as Tetsu, then he's done a good job, but I can't help but feel that his ultimate vision is somewhat skewered. In the end his statements and ethical ideas offer absolutely nothing that we haven't seen before or already know ourselves, which is why he should have continued with his pleasant comedic set up. It's almost hard to believe that one traumatic event involving a suicidal man can inflict the kind of selfish resentment that these people harbor toward the rest of the world. Prior to that incident, their lives already seemed depressing anyway - "So whose fault is that?" we're left to wonder. Strangely enough, Lee does finish on a relatively feel good note, making a point that we perhaps shouldn't meddle with things too much or we'll only make matters worse, but there's a sense that he's continually trying to cancel out each action with a more inappropriate one and getting a little lost along the way.

Scrap Heaven is a great looking film. Although most of it relies on blue and grey tones that help to expose the cold environment these people have withdrawn themselves into, Lee Sang Il infuses his picture with plenty of style and grace. There are several scene transitions that show an inventive quality as the director goes from one character to the next, while other areas show an enormous amount of ambition, which pays off during moments like when Saki tests her liquid bombs from the roof of her apartment building. The director's camera moves with wonderful precision as it literally tracks each character's movements during fights or running sequences, tilting and manipulating surroundings in the process. Lee has a brilliant eye and knows how to tell a story through a lens; he even manages to do a remarkable job of taking the clichéd dream sequence and placing in twists that totally fool the viewer. Pleasant CG work illustrates drastic changes and, with the help of his composer, he highlights ominous scenes with an interesting soundtrack ranging from jazz to instrumental rock.

The performances are also splendid. Odagiri Joe slightly overplays his hand, though I suspect it was at the request of the director; I'm sure he's not meant to be quite as bizarre as his character Bijomaru from Azumi. The problem is that Tetsu clearly isn't mad. He's a troubled being going through a family crisis involving his ill father, but Odagiri resorts to the kind of maniacal flailing that would otherwise see him thrown into a mental institution. When toning it down and acting like a normal, playful person or confronting his father during some of the sadder moments, he acquits himself well. It's not an easy role to play and, due to several conflicts with his character, it can be difficult to put up with him. Trying to sympathize with his plight is nigh on impossible, and certainly his philosophical rant toward the last act takes away from the desired effect. Kase Ryo likewise has a dual role of sorts: mild mannered office worker for the police and also a criminal to some degree. He does tend to play second fiddle to Tetsu, coming across as more of an easily brainwashed sidekick than an independently thinking being, which is why soon enough he does wise up and take action. Kase is a good performer who has to deal with a fair amount of physical and mental anguish and manages to convincingly pull it off. Kuriyama Chiaki is an actress whom I've grown to appreciate the more I see. Forget that she's attractive, too many actors have that quality as it is. Her career didn't start out too well; in fact, I didn't like her performance at all in her major debut Shikoku. She was far too wooden and failed to settle into her role. But actors learn from their mistakes and it's clear that as time has gone on, she's refined her methods. Battle Royale did wonders for her and showed off some of that real hidden talent, while Kill Bill secured her top status as a bad ass villain which she seemed to draw upon for Miike's The Great Yokai War. She's a very fun actor who now gets 100% into the characters she plays, if given the right opportunities. In Scrap Heaven Lee allows her some moments to grab the audience's attention. Her most memorable turn here is when she reacts to a situation early on in the film that is initially played out as a comical number. It is moments like this when the director does get away with successfully fusing comedy and drama in the same scene. As such, we can feel for Saki more than any of the other characters in the film, despite Kuriyama's relatively low-key role.

DVD
Japanese distributor Emotion presents Scrap Heaven on DVD with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. The image has a constant soft look to it, mainly during open shots, while close ups fair far better. Funny then that Edge Enhancement should appear, when we all know it does nothing to sharpen an image. The disc does reproduce the palette well and the harsh grey tones and dingy locations appear natural and free from any authoring difficulties. Contrast appears a little high, but nothing out of the ordinary, and there's a slight hint of natural grain that I suspect should be heavier.

The only sound option we have is an original Japanese DD2.0 track. There are no problems to report; dialogue is fine, the soundtrack is lively, and for a film of this caliber there's little else to expect from it. Optional English subtitles are also available, again reading very well, with not much to report other than the occasional full stop missing.

Extras
The main feature on the disc is a 35-minute making of and interviews piece. To start with each actor gets his or her own "Scrap of" title (ex: "Scrap of Kase Ryo") which is followed by interviews discussing their characters, interspersed with various behind-the-scenes clips. "Scrap of Unused Scene" is a collection of deleted scenes presented with time codes; after each scene is presented we're given a look at the making of them. Some of the scenes are very interesting, particularly the first one involving Saki and another scene involving her and Kasuya engaging in a lengthy conversation; others are brief. "Scrap of Behind the Scenes" is exactly that – a look at location shooting, kept fairly brief before it moves on to interviews with Lee Sang Il and Emoto Akira. "Scrap of Climax" finishes off the piece with behind the scene glimpses and interviews.

A 4-minute piece looks at the director and three main cast members getting together for a discussion before heading to a press screening. "Title Call", lasting for just 50 seconds, is basically just the three cast members calling out the film's title, presumably for advertising purposes. It's quite amusing due to the actors cracking up each time. Finishing off the disc is the theatrical trailer and two TV spots.

Overall
It could just be that I've misunderstood Scrap Heaven, but if that's the case, then it is because its intentions just feel misjudged. The film tries to address several subjects in a manner that's not exactly conventional. Ordinarily I wouldn't mind this, but it's disappointing that after such a superb first hour it gets into bigger issues that end up stripping it of the fun it initially began with, while not doing a great deal with them. There's no reason why films such as this can't be funny and make a point, but sadly Lee Sang Il feels the need to head into darker and less interesting territory and in turn damage an initially promising feature. Still, Scrap Heaven does offer a lot of fun moments and it oozes style, which can only leave us to anticipate the director's next film.

by Kevin Gilvear - DVD Times