Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘The Eel (Unagi)’?

The Eel (Unagi) (1997)

tomatometer

83

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 1

No consensus yet.

audience

81

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 2,819

My Rating

Movie Info

Veteran filmmaker and perennial iconoclast Shohei Imamura directs this darkly comic tale about love, redemption, and a man's beloved pet eel. The film opens with Takuro Yamashita (Koji Yakusho), a seemingly normal salaryman, learning that his wife might be having an affair. When he catches the couple in flaganto delicto, he freaks out and brutally stabs them both to death. Eight years later, Yamashita is released on parole into the care of a Buddhist priest living in rural Chiba prefecture. Far

Apr 12, 2005

Atalanta Filmes

Cast

All Critics (29) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (6) | DVD (3)

Unpredictable and captivating.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Comment
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

I was once again stuck watching a movie that's solely about repressed passion, perhaps the least cinematic thing you could ever try to film.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: CNN.com | Comment
CNN.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Yakusho and Ms. Shimizu deliver unerring performances in a splendid film that harvests hope from a bleak landscape.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

July 2, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | Comment

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.

March 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | Comment
Spirituality and Practice

[An] odd, affecting little film.

February 28, 2002 Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | Comment

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

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | Comment
Boxoffice Magazine

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

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A beautiful character study -- comedic scenes notwithstanding -- that ends on a hopeful note.

January 1, 2000 Comment
Jam! Movies
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Eel (Unagi)

Rage, remorse, regeneration, redemption, romance and a lot of frankly baffling whimsy. I felt this movie was just all over the map and did not satisfy. "An erotic spellbinder." ??????, um... no.

May 23, 2007
brooklynspo

Super Reviewer

In the most perverse circumstances, a story of affection and redemption in The Eel. Reflective. Optimistic. Oddly charming.

September 10, 2011
Jan Marc Macababayao

Super Reviewer

The Eel (Unagi) Quotes

No quotes approved yet for The Eel (Unagi). Logged in users can submit quotes.

Latest News for The Eel (Unagi)

What's Hot On RT

Critics Consensus
Critics Consensus

Journey 2 Not Worth the Trip

Luis Guzman
Luis Guzman

What are his 10 best movies ever?

<em>Amazing Spider-Man</em>
Amazing Spider-Man

See the all-new action-packed trailer!

Box Office
Box Office

The Vow leads record-breaking...

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,702 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,774 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,352 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,862 taken
created 15 months ago

Foreign Titles

  • L'Anguille (FR)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile