Rating: 
Summary: Misunderstood Movie
Review: ...The story the Eel resembles most closely is Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, a novel within which the main character is also riddled with guilt after committing a heinous crime, yet also eventually finds a form of redemption. In the Eel, the main character acts coldly towards the woman, yes, because she resembles his wife, but that is the cosmetic reason. The deeper and ultimate reason for his rebuffing her is that he feels tremendous guilt, feels unworthy of her attention. Not knowing how to communicate that to her, he resorts to the simplest measures: he pretends he's not interested in her. His true feelings are revealed when he lavishes her with care after she incurs a minor injury (ironically, a cut--he stabbed his wife to death). A knee-jerk reading of Crime and Punishment might also lead one to believe that Raskolnikov wasn't worthy of a woman's love. But it's not the point of either of these works to illuminate relationships between the genders; rather, it's to make a case for the right to redemption for all human beings. ... Robert Stribley
Rating: 
Summary: Sensational
Review: A very moving film full of quiet depth and both powerful and provocative emotions. In a word, this film is sensational.
Rating:
Summary: IGNORE PET8'S REVIEW
Review: According to Pet8, "The Eel" is a "male-dominant movie" because: 1. The guy gets only 8 years for murdering his wife. (Maybe that's the way it is in Japan. What's unrealistic about that???) 2. He was "mean" because he was "unsociable" and "mean" for rejecting the lunches that a woman made for him. Then Pet8 says, "All he had to do was dish out some kindness once in a while, and the girl was hooked. Men's fantansy if you ask me." What Pet8 FAILS to mention is that the reason the man murdered his wife is because she was cheating on him. Plus, the reason he is "unsociable" and "mean" to the woman who makes lunches for him is because SHE LOOKS LIKE HIS LATE WIFE WHO CHEATED ON HIM. I'm pretty sure if your spouse was cheating on you, you would behave in a "unsociable" and "mean or unpleasant" way to a woman who looked like your wife. And that goes for if the gender roles were reversed. I'm sure a woman would behave the same way to a nice guy if he looked like her unfaithful husband. Pet8, if you're going to write a review--AT LEAST TELL THE WHOLE STORY. Not just what you want to manipulate the readers to think. Aside from all that, "The Eel" is an excellent movie on betrayal, redemption and forgiveness. In many ways it reminded me of "Crime and Punishment." I highly recommend it. Incidentally, "The Eel" co-won the Best Picture award at the Cannes Film Festival. I'm pretty sure the Grand Jury didn't find "The Eel" to be a sexist film that Pet8 would want you to think.
Rating:
Summary: excellent. go see it--
Review: especially if you like human dramas. you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable, powerful film.
Review: I agree that this movie is primarily about the right of all human beings to redemption. Whether or not you believe that everyone deserves a second chance, this movie will certainly make you think about that question more deeply. The main character is NOT haunted by his wife's betrayal-- he is haunted by the fact that he KILLED her!!! It is very disturbing to me that anyone would think of his killing her (and later being unsociable towards another woman who reminded him of her) as being even somewhat justified by the fact that she had been unfaithful to him. That is a misogynistic mindset if ever there was one, and it misses the whole point of the movie. I do agree that this movie is somewhat sexist.. as in countless other movies, it does not provide any particular reason for the woman being attracted to the man (the man doesn't have to be particularly nice, interesting, attractive, or anything else). I'm a woman and that has often bothered me in other movies also. However, that's a minor complaint in this case, and this movie is absolutely worth seeing!! It is visually beautiful, poetic, extremely intelligent and thought-provoking, and totally deserving of the award it won at the Cannes Film Festival.
Rating:
Summary: Eel is a great film
Review: I am a person who is obsessed with anything Japanese, and their film is no exception. Eel is one of the better stories in a film I have seen, with a steady plot, great acting, and the movie not being to long in duration. When I watched this film, the story permitted me to feel the lines between good and bad, in addition to getting me to almost become the main character. This film is definitely for any person who wishes to watch a Japanese film and get up thinking it was an excellent story. I only gave it 4 stars simply because I have seen better, but the film is still fantastic!
Rating: 
Summary: A men's fantasy
Review: If you don't mind a male-dominant movie, then this is a good movie. The guy gets only 8 years for murdering his wife. Then, during his parole, he was mean (by rejecting the lunchbox she made for me twice) and unsocialable but the girl still threw herself at him. All he had to do was dish out some kindness once in a while, and the girl was hooked. Men's fantansy if you ask me, but perhaps it reflects the Japanese way. If the roles of male and female were reversed, would the movie still work? I think not. Based on the VHS version.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Film version of a chilling book
Review: It's probably germane to note that "The Eel" is a film adaptation of a novel called On Parole, written by Akira Yoshimura. It's a pretty free adaptation; for instance, there's no eel in the book. The film loses some of the richness of the book, and it develops very slowly, and its central metaphors are tentative and underdone, but it's still a very interesting movie with some comic moments and some very touching scenes as well. I thought the cinematography was spectacular, really capturing the sadness and heat of semi-rural Japan.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Film version of a chilling book
Review: It's probably germane to note that "The Eel" is a film adaptation of a novel called On Parole, written by Akira Yoshimura. It's a pretty free adaptation; for instance, there's no eel in the book. The film loses some of the richness of the book, and it develops very slowly, and its central metaphors are tentative and underdone, but it's still a very interesting movie with some comic moments and some very touching scenes as well. I thought the cinematography was spectacular, really capturing the sadness and heat of semi-rural Japan.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Film version of a chilling book
Review: It's probably germane to note that "The Eel" is a film adaptation of a novel called On Parole, written by Akira Yoshimura. It's a pretty free adaptation; for instance, there's no eel in the book. The film loses some of the richness of the book, and it develops very slowly, and its central metaphors are tentative and underdone, but it's still a very interesting movie with some comic moments and some very touching scenes as well. I thought the cinematography was spectacular, really capturing the sadness and heat of semi-rural Japan.
| 
