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.
"American Crime" and "Seven Seconds" star Regina King dishes on her Emmys experiences and the reason she'd choose directing over acting.
Related News
-
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film Shoplifters wins the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2018
20 May 2018 | AsianMoviePulse -
Tokyo Film Festival announces Koji Yakusho, Masaaki Yuasa retrospectives
09 May 2018 | ScreenDaily -
Tokyo Festival Sets Koji Yakusho Sidebar
09 May 2018 | Variety
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Eel (1997)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
16 wins & 13 nominations.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Kuroi ame
(1989)
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Yoshiko Tanaka,
Kazuo Kitamura,
Etsuko Ichihara
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Kôji Yakusho,
Misa Shimizu,
Mitsuko Baishô
Dr. Akagi
(1998)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Akira Emoto,
Kumiko Asô,
Jacques Gamblin
The Ballad of Narayama
(1983)
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Ken Ogata,
Sumiko Sakamoto,
Tonpei Hidari
Nippon konchûki
(1963)
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Emiko Aizawa,
Setsuko Amamiya,
Tomio Aoki
Kamigami no fukaki yokubô
(1968)
Certificate: GP
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Rentarô Mikuni,
Chôichirô Kawarasaki,
Kazuo Kitamura
Vengeance Is Mine
(1979)
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Ken Ogata,
Rentarô Mikuni,
Chôchô Miyako
Akai satsui
(1964)
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Masumi Harukawa,
Kô Nishimura,
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
Pigs and Battleships
(1961)
Action
|
Crime
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Hiroyuki Nagato,
Jitsuko Yoshimura,
Masao Mishima
Eijanaika
(1981)
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Shigeru Izumiya,
Kaori Momoi,
Masao Kusakari
The Pornographers
(1966)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Shôhei Imamura
Stars:
Shôichi Ozawa,
Sumiko Sakamoto,
Ganjirô Nakamura
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kôji Yakusho | ... | Takuro Yamashita | |
| Misa Shimizu | ... | Keiko Hattori | |
 |
Mitsuko Baishô | ... | Misako Nakajima |
|
|
Akira Emoto | ... | Tamotsu Takasaki |
|
|
Fujio Tokita | ... | Jiro Nakajima |
|
|
Shô Aikawa | ... | Yuji Nozawa |
|
|
Ken Kobayashi | ... | Masaki Saito |
|
|
Sabu Kawahara | ... | Seitaro Misato |
|
|
Etsuko Ichihara | ... | Fumie Hattori |
|
|
Tomorô Taguchi | ... | Eiji Dojima |
|
|
Chiho Terada | ... | Emiko Yamashita |
|
|
Shinshô Nakamaru | ||
|
|
Sei Hiraizumi | ||
|
|
Seiji Kurasaki | ||
|
|
Toshirô Ishidô | ||
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
White-collar worker Yamashita finds out that his wife has a lover visiting her when he's away, suddenly returns home and kills her. After eight years in prison, he returns to live in a small village, opens a barber shop (he was trained as a barber in prison) and talks almost to no-one except for the eel he "befriended" in prison. One day he finds the unconscious body of Keiko, who attempted suicide and reminds him of his wife. She starts to work at his shop, but he doesn't let her become close to him. Written by Anonymous
Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
21 August 1998 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Eel See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$29,879, 23 August 1998, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$413,793, 30 May 1999Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (Directors Cut)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
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.