Anyone who has seen a few of these comedies, specifically the ones that Third Window have released, can tell you that it is very difficult to sum up the plot is a simple synopsis. I'll do my best, but please be aware that in doing this, I'm leaving out a lot of the best stuff.
Ayame Enjoji (Riko Namuri) is a struggling gravure model. She doesn't get the big gigs like her old school pal, Momo Mimikawa (Sakura Ando), and her agent Inuko Inuyama (Ryoko Kazama) isn't particularly diligent in promoting her. When Inuko gets a call looking for a last minute model and Ayame is the only one available, she's thrust into a strange world when she finds out that the gig is to be Police Chief for a day. Not a fake police chief, but the real deal. At first she tries to push away her responsibility, but when her friends are taken hostage by a ragtag group of thieves attempting to rob a convenience store, Ayame must make the choice to stand up to them or not. What follows is a riotously funny cavalcade of shenanigans involving Ayame's past and present enemies and the rescue of a lifetime.
That's somewhat accurate. We also get numerous murders, tons of zany antics involving the gang of thieves, some interesting circular plotting, and the general craziness one expects from low budget Japanese comedies. Crime or Punishment?!? was one that was nowhere on my radar until Third Window announced their acquisition of the film, and now that I've seen it, I'm wondering why. This film should have been a huge festival hit along the lines of something like Sawako Decides, or even Underwater Love. While this film doesn't seem to have the same kind of easily exploitable elements are Underwater Love, it certainly has the same heart and some superlative performances from its leads.
One thing that works greatly in Crime or Punishment's favor is the production value that Sandorovich is able to convey on screen. The film, unlike many similar Japanese titles, never feels cheap. The cinematography is very good, and the attention to detail is superb, and with the behind the scenes look given to us on this disc, you can see why. Sandorovich is a perfectionist, and it translates onto the screen as his vision conveyed perfectly.
Crime or Punishment?!? is basically the story of a woman who has been let down when depending upon others who finally decides to take her destiny into her own hands. In that way the film has strong thematic ties to Sawako Decides, and, while the story may be a million miles away from that film, the message is very similar. Thank goodness for Japanese independent filmmakers who realize that silliness is a virtue, this kind of film only comes from the land of the rising sun these days, and I'm glad that Third Window is out there to make sure these films don't fall through the cracks.
The Disc:
Third Window's DVD presentation of Crime or Punishment?!? is pretty damned nice. The image quality on my flatscreen TV was exceptionally bright and detailed, and in a very good way. The anamorphic image has a very clean look, and it is certainly among their top tier of DVD releases. The only flaw I noticed was that the disc appears to be interlaced, but I only noticed that when watching it on my laptop, viewing it on my TV gave me no problems. The audio is very clean and clear with no pops or hisses, and supports the dialogue heavy film well.
Crime or Punishment?!? is packaged with two significant bonus features. The first is a forty-five minute "making of" segment that is a cross between a behind the scenes documentary and a video journal of the production. There are plenty of interviews with the director and cast and lots of behind the scenes footage. Very nice stuff, and better than I was expecting. Also included is a brief segment in which director Sandorovich shows his stars a piece of the stage play on which his screenplay for Crime or Punishment?!? was based. You can definitely see the seed from which this story grew in the play, but I recommend watching the feature first, as the play contains what could be construed as spoilers.
Overall, I was more impressed than I expected to be with Crime or Punishment?!? Both the film and the disc exceeded my expectations and that makes it an easy recommendation!