Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Eel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 22, 2025

Takuro Yamashita (Kôji Yakusho) seems to be a workaday Everyman as The Eel begins, but things almost immediately spiral out of control when Takuro is given a mysterious note detailing his wife's infidelity. Returning home early from a fishing trip Takuro discovers the note is accurate, so to speak, and in a fit of violent rage Takuro stabs his wife repeatedly, killing her. He then bicycles to the nearest police station and turns himself in. Though not overtly detailed within the confines of the film's narrative, he's of course imprisoned for his crime, and evidently in stir Takuro forms a "friendship" with an eel (don't ask, things just need to be accepted). Upon his release, the prison guards provide the eel to Takuro in a large baggie, and he attempts to rematriculate into society as a barber (one hopes unlike Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, considering Takuro's murderous past), with the eel at least initially Takuro's only close "friend". If the film is undeniably odd at times and so may or may not appeal to everyone's taste, some of the supplements on this disc may be of special interest to those with a fondness for Japanese cinema.

It's almost helpful to simply ignore whatever symbolism the film's titular creature may signify and simply go with the flow (eel habitat pun notwithstanding), because the narrative is otherwise a frankly somewhat rote documentation of Takuro attempting to reintegrate into society, finding a potential romance with Keiko Hattori (Misa Shimizu), a character with her own issues, and also having to deal with what amounts to blackmail by a ne'er-do-well named Takasaki (Emoto Akira). Keiko's troubled history also includes two other sidebar characters, including her addled mother (Etsuko Ichihara) who in just one of this film's sudden flights into near gonzo material suffers from dementia and thinks she's a flamenco dancer.

The Eel is ultimately sui generis even if at least some (many?) of its plot tropes are more than hoary, and that is due at least in part to a completely unexpected tone that co-writer and director Shohei Imamura lends to the proceedings. The opening is almost something out of Grand Guignol, with Takuro attacking his wife basically mid-dalliance, but then offering a curiously whimsical at times depiction of two focal characters suffering from their own forms of post traumatic stress disorder.

The Eel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Eel is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:

The Eel (Director's Cut) was transferred in high definition by Shochiku Co. Ltd. and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.

The Eel (Theatrical Cut) as presented on this disc was assembled by Radiance Films using the high-definition master of the Director's Cut as supplied by Shochiku Co. Ltd. Where necessary and in order to present a complete and accurate version of the Theatrical Cut, this version briefly incorporates interstitial footage taken from a pre-existing standard definition version, which was the only available source for this version of the film. As a result, there are occasional moments where the resolution of the picture noticeably fluctuates.

I frankly thought they may have gotten their versions mixed up vis a vis the above verbiage, since it seems to me to make more sense that a longer cut would have to incorporate interstitial material, though that said Radiance has confirmed that's what actually happened, and one way or the other, both versions presented here offer a certain variability. The opening (rather long) credits sequence in both is just one example of a kind of "video" like appearance that also has less fulsome detail levels. Things improve markedly after the credits end, and a lot of the outdoor material pops reasonably well, though the palette can look a bit dowdy and brown at least some of the time. Detail levels are typically very good throughout, faltering in some of the darkest moments, where shadow detail can also be a bit lacking. Some of the nighttime scenes have a noticeable blue cast which may highlight an already thick grain field.

The Eel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Eel features LPCM Mono audio in the original Japanese. There's not really an overly elaborate sound design in this film, though there are some kind of curious sound effects with gurgling water a couple of times as the focal or at least titular character is moved hither and yon. Ambient environmental effects can dot the urban setting and even the barber shop. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Eel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Director's Cut (HD; 2:14:25), which was created by Imamura for a 1997 re-release, and Theatrical Version (HD; 1:56:38) are accessible under the Play Menu.


• Tony Rayns (HD; 27:31) offers another insightful overview of both the film and its director.


• Daisuke Tengan (HD; 18:52) is a really interesting reminiscence by Imamura's son. Subtitled in English.


• 1997: A Year to Remember (HD; 13:22) offers the always interesting Tom Mes' thoughts on this epochal year in Japanese cinema, though to be completely accurate Mes strays a bit beyond just one year despite the perceived focus of the featurette's title.


• Trailer (HD; 1:08)

Radiance also includes a nicely appointed insert booklet and its trademark packaging with an Obi strip.

The Eel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may be best to simply jettison any attempt to divine ostensibly "deep" symbolism the actual eel in this film offers and approach the story more as a kind of bittersweet folie à deux between two wounded characters. Okay, three, including the eel. Joking aside, The Eel features somewhat variable video and good audio, along with some enjoyable supplements. With caveats noted, Recommended.