Radiance Films Blu-ray Synopsis: After serving timein prison for murdering his unfaithful wife, Yamashita (Koji Yakusho, Perfect Days, Cure) is released on parole, accompanied only by his pet eel. Hoping to stay out of trouble, he takes over a rural barber shop that quickly becomes a gathering point for the eccentric locals. However, the discovery of a woman's failed suicide starts a chain reaction that brings back past demons – and not just his own. The Eel won master filmmaker Shohei Imamura his second Palme d'Or, after 1983's The Ballad Of Narayama and was the breakthrough of its star Yakusho. (117 Mins)

 

Views: After catching his adulterous wife cheating with another man, white-collar worker Takuro Yamashita attacks them both with a knife. Stabbing the man once in the back, Takuro goes onto repeatedly knife his wife to death as her lover escapes from the house, raising the alarm as he runs. Accepting his fate, the husband immediately hands himself in at the local police station, where he is then sent to prison. Many years, Takuro is released on parole and goes onto open a small barbershop in a rural area where he starts to meet new people, although only really converses with a pet eel that he befriended whilst in prison. Soon after, he finds the unconscious body of Keiko – a young woman who had attempted suicide. Reminding him of his wife, Takuro gets her some help and, after she has recovered, Keiko starts to work at his shop in return for his kindness. As time passes, she falls in love with Takuro but because of his shame and self-resentment, he finds it difficult to return her love...

​

Recently restored and released on Blu-ray by Radiance Films, this was a first time watch of The Eel for me, and although it was slow at times – I was pretty intrigued for the most part. Directed by the late Shohei Imamura – mentor to the infamous Takashi Miike and the same man behind Japanese classics such as Endless Desire (1958), Pigs & Battleships (1961), Intentions Of Murder (1964), and The Pornographers (1966) among others – The Eel was filmed in the Chiba prefecture of Japan before going onto do a modest run at the box-office. While slow-burning, the film still proves to be a haunting experience laced with dark humour and effective perception of humanity, not to mention the terrific performance of it's leading man, Koji Yakusho, who stars as the unfortunate and troubled Takuro. Born as Koji Yakusho, the prolific star took on the name of Yakusho after he began acting. Throughout his career, which began in television, Koji went onto impress in films such as Tampopo (1985), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's fantastic Cure (1997), Lost Paradise (1997), Shall We Dance (1996) – which was such a big hit that it inspired a ballroom dance craze across the country – later going on to be remade in Hollywood. Later he would star in 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), The Blood Of Wolves (2018), and again for Kiyoshi Kurosawa in Pulse in 2001.

 

He is joined by the lovely Misa Shimizu who stars as Keiko. Having began her acting career just a decade before, Misa has went onto become prolific on both the small and big screen starring in titles such as Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992), Okoge (1992), Dr. Akagi (1998), Crosspoint (2024), and Shall We Dance with Koji Hashimoto the year before this. Here, as Keiko, and much like her co-star, Misa does another fantastic job. Actors Mitsuko Baisho, Akira Emoto, Fujio Tokita, Makoto Sato and Sho Aikawa also help flesh things out in their own entertaining ways among many others. While simply shot, the film is beautifully captured by Shigeru Komatsubara, a small time cinematographer who made his debut with Imamura's award winning film The Ballad Of Narayama in 1983 before going on to capture films such as Zero Woman: Assassin Lovers (1996), Dr. Akagi (1998), Moonlight Whispers (1999) and Samurai Cat (2014) to name but a few. These visuals are highlighted even more so on the gorgeous new UK Blu-ray release from Radiance Films, accompanied by a great interview with critic Tony Rayns and another with screenwriter Daisuke Tengan. Tom Mes delivers a neat visual essay on 1997 as the year Japanese cinema saw a turning point, and the obligatory trailer is also available. The release is limited to 3000 copies, each of which also come with a neatly designed and informative book featuring a newly translated archival interview with the director himself. All in all, The Eel a classic of Japanese cinema and a Blu-ray worth getting your hands on!

 

Overall: Haunting, slow burning, yet gripping in many ways, The Eel is a interesting piece of Japanese cinema that's worth a look!

 

Radiance Blu-ray Extras: Interview with Tony Rayns, Interview with screenwriter Daisuke Tengan, Visual Essay by Tom Mes, Trailer

​

Support the site by getting your copy HERE