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Movies / On DVD / The Eel
The Eel

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The Eel (1997)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:18

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7/10

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: With THE EEL, director Shohei Imamura shows that eels are not just a tasty sushi treat but also a symbol of the human condition. Yamashita (Koji Yakusho) kills his unfaithful wife and turns himself... With THE EEL, director Shohei Imamura shows that eels are not just a tasty sushi treat but also a symbol of the human condition. Yamashita (Koji Yakusho) kills his unfaithful wife and turns himself in to the police. Eight years later he is paroled and must try to find redemption. Setting up shop as a barber, he encounters several unusual characters, including a young man who hopes to attract UFOs and a woman with a troubled past who tries to reel him in with delicious lunch boxes. Yamashita, however, is obsessed with his pet eel, his only companion during his years in prison. In his previous films (THE INSECT WOMAN, BALLAD OF NARAYAMA), Imamura has often suggested the closeness between humans and animals; in THE EEL, he takes the connection one step further, having his main character carry on hilarious dialogues with his pet. Based on the novel YAMI NI HIRAMEKU by Akira Yoshimura, the film marks Imamura's triumphant return to filmmaking after an eight-year break. When the film won the Palme d'Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Imamura became one of only three directors to have won the honor twice. [More]

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Ken Kobayashi, Fujio Tokita

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Ken Kobayashi, Fujio Tokita, Akira Emoto, Mitsuko Baisho

Director: Shohei Imamura

Director: Shohei Imamura
Screenwriter: Shohei Imamura, Daisuke Tengan, Motofumi Tomikawa
Producer: Hiso Ino

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Eel

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

What starts out as intriguing turns into simply baffling.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
David Stratton
David Stratton
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/12/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/12/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Imamura composed The Eel with an artist's eye and takes his time, so don't expect a fast-paced American-style film.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
07/02/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Palo Alto Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
02/04/03
Darrin Keene
Darrin Keene
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Scouts | comment Comment
04/17/02
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Film Scouts
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
03/14/02
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

This excellent drama, based on a novel, reveals the beginning of a relationship between two souls who are trying to move beyond the wounds of the past.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/02/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

[An] odd, affecting little film.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
02/28/02
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

Unpredictable and captivating.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It sounds nuts, but one of the best movies in town is about the relationship of a man with his eel.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle

An interesting film that works most effectively as an introspective study of how to deal with one's anger and love.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Yakusho gives a good performance in the lead role but the screenplay does not go beneath the surface of the characters.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ed Scheid
Ed Scheid
Boxoffice Magazine

In a way, The Eel is very much like Black Rain, and nearly as great.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
G. Allen Johnson
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Examiner

Effectively emotional, quiet, and leisurely paced.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

This simple, sinuous fable may not be among Imamura's greatest films ... but it could hardly have been made by anyone else.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice

Just when it seems like 'The Eel' is going to settle into a standard love-conquers-fear tale, the writers begin coloring in the characters, revealing their secrets and insecurities. The results are sometimes shocking and sometimes funny...

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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