The Guys from Paradise

The Guys from Paradise (天国から来た男たち, Tengoku Kara Kita Otoko-tachi) is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike, adapted from the novel by Yōji Hayashi.[1][2]

The Guys from Paradise
Directed byTakashi Miike
Written byScreenplay: Itaru Era, Izō Hashimoto
Novel: Yōji Hayashi
StarringKoji Kikkawa
Nene Otsuka
Kenichi Endō
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Music byKoji Kikkawa
Tomoyuki Konishi
CinematographyHideo Yamamoto
Edited byYasushi Shimamura
Distributed byNikkatsu and Hammers
Release date
  • October 30, 2000 (2000-10-30)
(Tokyo International Film Festival)
June 16, 2001 (Japan)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
English

Plot

Japanese businessman Kohei Hayasake of Sanyu Trading is arrested for possession of a kilo of heroin in Manila and sent to a prison there. Umino, a restaurant owner in Manila, introduces Kohei to Yoshida, a former member of the criminal underworld who has chosen to be imprisoned in order to escape from his enemies, who hires Kohei to be his business representative in exchange for permission to use Yoshida's private toilet. Yoshida bribes the guards to let him take Kohei to a hotel to purchase a kilo of heroin but Kohei uses the opportunity to escape and runs to the hotel where his wife is staying but finds that she did not return to the hotel the previous night. Yoshida finds Kohei and insists that he will kill him if Kohei betrays him again.

Yoshida sells the drugs through the warden, who states that Kohei must produce money for bribes in order to win his case. The pedophile Sakamoto takes Kohei to a club where he is drugged and taken to a room to have his organs removed for sale but Yoshida finds him and rescues him. Kohei leaves his wife after determining that she is sleeping with the company's lawyer. At his trial, Kohei is sentenced to life in prison.

During the next drug deal, Kohei is attacked by members of Yoshida's old yakuza clan, who state that Yoshida's real name is Murakame. Kohei escapes and is driven back to the prison by Brando, a prisoner who once had a legal dispute with Kohei's company. Yoshida's assistant Belila is shot dead by an attacking gunman while she is stabbing him to death.

When the poor inmates gang up against the privileged Japanese inmates working with Yoshida, Brando distracts them by throwing money on the ground, allowing the Japanese men to escape. As they are escaping they stop to help an injured woman. They take her to her village, where Sakamoto treats her as well as the numerous ill children of the village. Taro, an unfulfilled comic book artist who meditates and speaks to himself all day, is worshiped as a god by the villagers.

The yakuza Yabumoto who is chasing Murakame arrives in the village and kills Sakamoto then points his gun at Kohei before Murakame arrives to surrender himself. Convicted embezzler Namie Mishima from the women's wing of the prison offers Yabumoto gemstones worth millions, throwing them at him as Kohei pulls a gun from the back of her shorts and kills Yabumoto. The yakuza fire on Kohei and Namie but Umino jumps in front of them and saves their lives.

Murakame decides to return to prison, while Taro stays in the village. Using the pseudonym Mabini, Kohei wins the Philippine presidential election, hoping to turn around the economy and the country for the sake of the people.

Cast

Other credits
  • Produced by
    • Sonny Cabalda - line producer: Philippines unit
    • Renzo Cruz - producer: Philippines unit
    • Donnie Gonzales - supervising producer: Philippines unit
    • Masanobu Hamasaki - executive producer
    • Yue Hayashi - producer
    • Miyoshi Hikawa - producer
  • Production Design: Tatsuo Ozeki
  • Makeup Department
    • Laila Baum .... key hair and makeup stylist: Philippines unit
  • Production Management: Ulysses Formanez - production manager: Philippines unit
  • Assistant Directors
    • Lito Mena .... assistant director: Philippines
    • Jojo Salamante .... assistant director: Philippines
    • Leo Valdez .... assistant director: Philippines
  • Art Department
    • Winky Gonzales .... art director: Philippines
    • Ramon Nicdao .... set decorator: Philippines
    • Ruben Arthur Nicdao .... production designer: Philippines
  • Sound Department
    • Yoshiya Obara .... sound
    • Kenji Shibazaki .... sound effects
  • Special Effects by
  • Apeng Salen .... special effects: Philippines unit

other

  • Lisa Araki .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Mario Belasquez .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Jojo Bineda .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Marvin Cruz .... office staff: Philippines
  • Victoria Custodio .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Lino Dalay .... wardrobe master: Philippines
  • Karen Ann Domingo .... production assistant: Philippines
  • Karyll Endaya .... production assistant: Philippines
  • Mildred Formanez .... armorer: Philippines
  • Sonia Lago .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Efren Laihee .... transportation coordinator: Philippines
  • Masaharu Oomi .... timing
  • Narding Ortega .... schedule master: Philippines
  • Alvin Palencia .... production assistant: Philippines
  • Lulu Penarroyo .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Rudy Ramirez .... fight choreographer: Philippines
  • Jasmine Rellosa .... field cashier: Philippines
  • Janice Reyes .... production secretary: Philippines
  • Mar Sacdalan .... chief of security: Philippines
  • Melissa Sibayan .... production assistant: Philippines
  • Roland Siglos .... interpreter: Philippines
  • Cherry Sy .... production assistant: Philippines
  • Alex Toledo .... production assistant: Philippines
  • Marie Yamamoto .... interpreter: Philippines

Release

The film premiered at the 13th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 30, 2000.[3]

References
  1. 天国から来た男たち [The Guys from Paradise] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  2. 天国から来た男たち [The Guys from Paradise] (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  3. https://www.tiff-jp.net/en/tiff/lineup.php?id=13
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