Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Cold Fish Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 29, 2011

Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Japanese director Sion Sono's "Tsumetai nettaigyo" a.k.a. "Cold Fish" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Third Window Films. The supplemental features on the release include the film's original Japanese theatrical trailer; video interview with co-writer Yoshiki Takahashi; video interview with novelist Jake Adelstein; and more. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked". Please be advised that the film contains disturbing footage that is not appropriate for minors!

Watch her!

Shamoko (Mitsuru Kukikoshi, Samurai Fiction, The Twilight Samurai) runs a small fish shop together with his sexually frustrated second wife Taeko (Megumi Kagurazaka, Pride, 13 Assassins), who is constantly at odds with his daughter Mitsuko (Hikari Kajiwara, Asyl: Park and Love Hotel).

One day, Mitsuko is caught stealing in an upscale supermarket. Before the manager can call the police, the friendly owner of another fish shop, Murata (Denden, Cure, Eureka), settles the issue. Later on, he takes Shamoko, Taeko and Mitsuko to his shop and shows them his collection of exotic and tropical fish.

Shamoko and Murata become friends - and then partners. Mitsuko also begins working for Murata and even living in his house, while Taeko has a quick rendezvous with him. Energized and feeling good about the future, Shamoko and Taeko also warm up to each other again.

But after another business partner angers Murata, Shamoko witnesses something that profoundly changes his life. Together with his beautiful wife Aiko (Asuka Kurosawa, A Snake of June, Water Flower), Murata makes the man "invisible" (the process has to be seen to be believed, because simple words cannot even begin to describe what Aiko and Murata do to the poor man).

Realizing that his partner and his wife are insane, Shamoko attempts to walk away but is immediately warned that if he talks his daughter and wife would also become "invisible". Unable to cope with the pressure, Shamoto slowly begins losing his mind.

Pascal Laugier’s Martyrs set the bar incredibly high but Sion Sono’s ultra-violent Cold Fish goes a step further. The film, supposedly inspired by true events, is in a league of its own.

Aside from the incredibly disturbing visuals, the film offers a few fascinating observations about Japanese culture and the role violence has in it. The relationship between Shamoko and Taeko is also particularly interesting as its gradual disintegration satirizes various strictly Japanese views of ethics, loyalty and obedience.

The film builds slowly, never omitting important details that could add up to the grim atmosphere. Naturally, the events preceding the gruesome killings are just as unsettling. Only during the final third of the film there is a tendency to overdramatize things.

The few sequences where Sion Sono lets his twisted sense of humor run wild, such as the one where Aiko switches her allegiance, give the film a hyper-realistic feel that is arguably one of its strongest assets.

Mitsuru Kukikoshi’s character transformation is superb, though seriously unsettling. Famous Japanese comedian Denden is also convincing as the insane serial killer Murata, though a few of his monologues could have been toned down a bit. The film, however, belongs to the beautiful Asuka Kurosawa who truly looks possessed. (For an equally disturbing performance, see Beatrice Dalle in Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day).

*In 2010, Cold Fish was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Cold Fish Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sion Sono's Cold Fish arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Third Window Films.

Despite the fact that large portions of the film are quite dark, detail and clarity are very good. Contrast levels are also consistent and color reproduction convincing. An extremely light layer of machine noise is occasionally visible during some of the darker indoor scenes but the image has pleasing depth and fluidity (see screencaptures #3 and 6). There are no traces of overzealous sharpening or heavy DNR corrections. Furthermore, aliasing and banding do not plague the high-definition transfer. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Cold Fish Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Third Window Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track impresses with a range of nuanced dynamics that add up to the film's very unique atmosphere. The various random noises during some of the most chilling scenes, for instance, are very effective. Elsewhere, the bass comes alive with good intensity. The dialog is consistently crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no problematic pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts either. For the record, the English translation is very good.

Cold Fish Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features are placed on a separate PAL-encoded DVD.

• Trailer - the original Japanese theatrical trailer for Cold Fish. In Japanese, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min).

• Interview with co-writer Yoshiki Takahashi - in this very long and very informative video interview, co-writer Yoshiki Takahashi explains how he got involved with Cold Fish and discusses his preparation of the script, the case that apparently inspired the film, the main characters, etc. The interview is conducted by filmmaker Norman England. In English, not subtitled. (51 min).

• Interview with Jake Adelstein - in this video interview, Jake Adelstein (author of "Tokyo Vice" and the newspaper reports "Saitama Dog Lovers Serial Disappearances" and "Saitama Dog Lovers Serial Murders") discusses the case that inspired Cold Fish. In English, not subtitled. (40 min).

• Poster - a look at the creation of the original Japanese poster for Cold Fish. This segment is also conducted by filmmaker Norman England. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Third Window Films Trailers -

• Weblink -

Cold Fish Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sion Sono's Cold Fish is an insane film. I knew a little bit about the case that supposedly inspired it, but I was most definitely not prepared for what I experienced approximately 48 hours ago. It is difficult to celebrate Cold Fish, but it is absolutely impossible not to admire its style and atmosphere. Kudos to Third Window Films for bringing yet another remarkable contemporary Japanese film to the UK. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.