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Unagi

  • 19971997
  • K-18K-18
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
37,065
2,476
Unagi (1997)
Drama
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After the release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking almost to no one except an eel he befriended while in pr... Read allA businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After the release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking almost to no one except an eel he befriended while in prison.A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After the release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking almost to no one except an eel he befriended while in prison.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
37,065
2,476
  • Director
    • Shôhei Imamura
  • Writers
    • Shôhei Imamura
    • Daisuke Tengan
    • Motofumi Tomikawa
  • Stars
    • Kôji Yakusho
    • Misa Shimizu
    • Mitsuko Baishô
Top credits
  • Director
    • Shôhei Imamura
  • Writers
    • Shôhei Imamura
    • Daisuke Tengan
    • Motofumi Tomikawa
  • Stars
    • Kôji Yakusho
    • Misa Shimizu
    • Mitsuko Baishô
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 27User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 16 wins & 15 nominations

    Photos12

    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)
    Unagi (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kôji Yakusho
    Kôji Yakusho
    • Takuro Yamashita
    Misa Shimizu
    Misa Shimizu
    • Keiko Hattori
    Mitsuko Baishô
    • Misako Nakajima
    Akira Emoto
    • Tamotsu Takasaki
    Fujio Tokita
    Fujio Tokita
    • Jiro Nakajima
    Shô Aikawa
    Shô Aikawa
    • Yuji Nozawa
    Ken Kobayashi
    • Masaki Saito
    Sabu Kawahara
    • Seitaro Misato
    Etsuko Ichihara
    • Fumie Hattori
    Tomorô Taguchi
    Tomorô Taguchi
    • Eiji Dojima
    Chiho Terada
    • Emiko Yamashita
    Shinshô Nakamaru
    Sei Hiraizumi
    Sei Hiraizumi
    Seiji Kurasaki
    Toshirô Ishidô
    Sanshô Shinsui
    • Doctor
    Kôichi Ueda
    • Keiji - A detective
    Ken Mitsuishi
    • Detective
    • Director
      • Shôhei Imamura
    • Writers
      • Shôhei Imamura
      • Daisuke Tengan
      • Motofumi Tomikawa
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Winner of the 1997 Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival tied with another title Taste of Cherry from Iran.
    • Quotes

      Takuro Yamashita: An eel's all a man needs.

    • Connections
      Featured in Especial Cannes: 50 Anos de Festival (1997)

    User reviews27

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    How a Japanese man copes with guilt
    The Eel tells a story about a Japanese man who copes with his guilt after committing a crime. (I won't go into details on the crime, that's for you to find out) The way he does this is what makes this movie a great one in my book. Not only does he turn himself in after the crime (with a great way of response by the police) he even makes a friend out of an eel in prison. Hence the name of the movie. Once outside the prison he tries to build up a barber shop and get his life back on track.

    The film is carried by its character interactions. Apart from these there is nothing else in this film, so for those who don't like dialogue don't bother with this film because you'll be bored.

    For the others, who like a story carried by characters, this surely is a must. The only flaw for me was the presence of a quirky UFO nut, but that's minor.

    And please watch the original version with subs and not some gruesome dubbed version. I never understood the appeal of a dub.
    helpful•4
    4
    • Veskanderrai
    • Jun 19, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 24, 1997 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • The Eel
    • Filming locations
      • Sawara, Chiba, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Eisei Gekijo
      • Groove Corporation
      • Imamura Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $418,480
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $29,879
      • Aug 23, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $418,480
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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