User reviews

Nobuyuki Syamoto is an unassuming fellow running an unremarkable tropical fish shop in Shizuoka prefecture. His life is dreary at best and at worst untenable: his wife is tired of him and his daughter hates them both. After the daughter is caught shoplifting, an eccentric, gregarious rival fish seller by the name of Yukio Murata smooths the matter over, inviting Syamoto to his much grander shop to meet his wife. Murata decides to give the daughter a job, and it seems the two families are destined for friendship. Before long the whole Syamoto family are under Murata and his wife's spell; and their intentions for them prove to be far less than honorable.

Sion Sono's 'Cold Fish' is a terrific, stylish thriller full of black humor, psychological horror and gory, unexpected moments. Inspired by the case of Sekine Gen and Hiroko Kazama- the perpetrators of the infamous Saitama Dog Lover Murders- the film is sharply written by Sono and Yoshiki Takahashi, constantly feeling fresh and inventive in its' approach to the material. The humor comes fast and frequent, though it's of a dark kind not everyone will find to their tastes. Though the story concerns murder and madness, it's also about control, about how Murata and his wife insinuate themselves into the lives of the Syamotos, changing them irrevocably. It's a twisted, bloody tale for sure; but it's also one that'll make you think.

Under Sono's watchful gaze, Shinya Kimura brings us stylish, striking cinematography. It is naturalistic, atmospheric work that makes sublime use of colour and shadow, with Murata's aquatic emporium being shot in a particularly interesting fashion. Takashi Matsuzuka's lush production design makes for detailed, realistic looking environments, with the two fish shops being especially visually striking and rich. Satoe Araki's costume design is arguably less interesting, though some of his work for the female side of the cast is splendid and memorable.

Editor Jun'ichi Itô has worked numerous times with Sono- most recently on 2017's 'Tokyo Vampire Hotel'- and the two share a fruitful working relationship. Itô's work is intuitive and rhythmic, bringing the film together masterfully and making the nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime fly by. Tomohide Harada's score must also be mentioned, as it is eerily beautiful and evocative work that heightens the film's tension and drama. Harada also makes effective use of pieces from the likes of Mahler that merge well with his original score and complement the film.

'Cold Fish' has a great cast all performing at the top of their games. Mitsuru Fukikoshi stars as Nobuyuki Syamoto, giving a grounded performance of depth and range that will impress any who see the film. He is the straight man of the piece, and he carries 'Cold Fish' through crazed, bloody situations with an ease few actors could pull off. Downtrodden, then startled, and finally exasperated, Fukikoshi runs the full gamut of emotions and never once comes across as melodramatic or over-blown.

Denden gives the performance of his life as the charming, sinister and rather mad Yukio Murata. Bringing humour and charisma to the character, Denden's Murata is a force of nature as wild as a tornado and as devastating as a tsunami. He also clearly loves playing such a villainous character, as there's an ever-present twinkle in his eye; even in the darkest of scenes. You'll feel quite like the Syamoto family by the end; fully in his thrall, amazed and entertained by his fantastic, layered performance.

Megumi Kagurazaka co-stars as Syamoto's wife Taeko and gives a towering performance of no vanity that is both memorable and beguiling. Taeko isn't exactly likable as written, but Kagurazaka imbues the character with such grace and strength that she'll almost certainly win you over. Rounding out the main cast is Asuka Kurosawa as Murata's wife Aiko, who is as unhinged, as manipulative and as charming as her husband. Kurosawa is probably best known for her dedicated performance as Rinko in Shinya Tsukamoto's 'A Snake of June,' but her work in 'Cold Fish' is arguably the stronger of the two performances- and certainly the more entertaining.

Sion Sono's 'Cold Fish' is a brilliant, darkly comedic film that contains gore and humor a-plenty. Featuring outstanding performances from the cast, excellent, stylish visuals and a great score from Tomohide Harada; the film is a technical and creative achievement on every level. The subject matter may put some viewers off, but for those who enjoy black-comedy and eat up any true-crime story, 'Cold Fish' is a highly recommended dish: a cinematic delicacy.

Poor mild mannered Shamoto is trapped in his little aquarium business with his hot, but frustrated wife and his teen-aged daughter who loathes her step mother and has nothing but contempt for her father. Into their life roars Murata, a fast talking, vaguely sleazy, but oddly friendly rival, who owns a much slicker, larger aquarium business. And maybe he has a little bit of other things going on in the side, in more ways than one. Shamoto is going to get the ride of his life, and he isn't going to enjoy it.

This film is impossible to fit into any neat category. Its part horror, part black comedy (its extremely funny at times), part serial killer movie, with a huge dollop of allegory about business and Japanese society. And its also a hoot - brilliant acting and direction keeps you hooked as the film gets gorier and gorier. The entire cast is compelling as a group of seemingly ordinary people who are teetering on either side of major personality disorders. And its not always clear who the real psychopaths are. Only the fish seem normal.

This certainly isn't a film for everyone. But if you enjoy a black comedy and have a strong stomach for some very realistic looking gore, then this will certainly keep you distracted for its 140 minutes or so.

Even though the protagonist (Shamoto) is an adult, this is essentially a coming-of-age movie in a doomed world. Shamoto is introduced to Murata, a psychopath. Everyone seems to do what Murata wants them to, including Shamoto's wife and daughter. Shamoto tries to go against the grain, to say 'I don't want things to be like this.' But he finds himself alone against everything and has to learn some unpleasant truths about the world.

This is a very bleak movie and over-the-top in its negativity. It can be hard to watch at times but the violence is not gratuitous. It serves a purpose. The (brilliant) ending would not have the same impact without what came before.

Even though this is a crazy, overblown movie about a psycho killer, it only uses that as framework to address more universal issues of abuse, authority, dependency and responsibility.

I don't usually write reviews here. Just wanted to defend a very good, tragic and thought-provoking movie. This is definitely not just more gore for gore's sake.

Every now and then I come across a title that speaks to me. Now don't take me the wrong way, I don't necessarily mean that I can relate to it but it sends a message and reminds us of what we humans are really capable of. In the dark of all Hollywood movies, Japanese action-movies and romantic comedies that flood the box offices lie small gritty and pitch black movies that just wait to be found by those who can handle it.

This isn't a movie for those that only like mindless gore like Saw or Hostel. Instead it delves deep into the darkness we humans can fall into and it doesn't let us out even once. Someone wrote that those who are into dark comedies could take a liking to this movie, I'd say that if you take this on as a dark comedy then you're missing the point of the movie and shouldn't be watching it in the first place. For that purpose there are far more gory "entertainment" out there to laugh or giggle at.

If you're a fan of really dark thrillers with drama and characters with depth then you'll definitely love this movie. Others may love it as well but at the very least you should not watch this if you have a weak heart, and that's not only due to the gore in this movie. I'd go so far as to say that in terms of atmospheric darkness not even the Vengeance Trilogy comes close. This becomes even more apparent due to the fact that this movie is loosely based on events that truly have transpired.

I'm not gonna' delve into the story of the movie as I myself lose a lot of the surprise when I hear about a movie like this. I hope I've been of help and that you'll be ready to see what may be your darkest movie yet (if you're able to not try and laugh it off).

Mild mannered Nobuyuki Shamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi), owner of a modest tropical fish shop, lives with his pretty teenage daughter Mitsuki (Hikari Kajiwara) and surprisingly hot second wife Taeko (Megumi Kagurazaka); sadly, the women in his life do not see eye to eye (to put it mildly). When Mitsuko is caught shoplifting, Yukio Murata (Denden), a successful businessman who also sells exotic aquatic livestock, steps in and gets Mitsuki off with a warning. Brash, charismatic, and cunning Murata uses this as an opportunity to begin manipulating the grateful Shamoto family, offering desperate Mitsuki a job as one of his store girls (all of whom are pretty, and wear tight vests and short shorts!), bringing meek Yukio under his wing as his apprentice, and sneaking a shag with the not-very-content Taeko.

Murata also reveals to a Nobuyuki his unique method of dealing with difficult acquaintances: he poisons them and then, with help from his obedient and rather sexy wife Aiko (Asuka Kurosawa), takes the bodies to a remote shack where he makes them 'disappear' (ie., chops them up, burns the bones, and sprinkles the remains in the woods). When Murata insists that Yukio help dispose of a victim, he is too shocked and scared too refuse; now, as an accomplice to murder, he finds himself trapped by the over-bearing and frankly quite scary Murata—fearful not only for himself, but also for the lives of his wife and daughter.

However, a man can only be pushed so far: after several more stomach-churning visits to the shack, learning of his wife's infidelity, suffering a beating from Murata, and being forced to have sex with Aiko (the poor guy!), Nobiyuki finally snaps, attacking Mr and Mrs Murata with a biro (not the greatest of weapons, perhaps, but it does the trick). Now it is time for Yukio Murata to disappear, with Mrs. Murata only too happy to help, clearly turned on by the fact that Nobiyuki has at last grown a pair. The now empowered Nobiyuki also sets about straightening out his ungrateful wife and daughter, using methods definitely NOT sanctioned by most family guidance counsellors.

Other reviews here on IMDb comment on what a harsh viewing experience Cold Fish is, with its brutal murders, bodily dismemberment, rape and in your face gore; but while it's certainly not what I'd call family viewing, I wasn't too fazed by the extreme content, finding much of the film darkly humorous rather than disturbing (but then I've watched a fair few gruesome Asian movies in my time, and am probably a tad desensitised). Indeed, I was ready to dismiss the film as a far-fetched and overlong wish-fulfilment fantasy for downtrodden Japanese males, when I decided to watch the interview with investigative journalist Jake Adelstein on the extras disc, something that altered my perception of the film slightly. Although the beginning of Cold Fish had stated that it was based on a true story, I had taken this with a large pinch of salt (so many movies make this wild claim); as it happens, most of what director Shion Sono depicts proves to be not all that far from the truth (at least until Nobiyuki snaps), making his film a lot more chilling in retrospect.

After been shocked and transformed in Miike's transgressive "Visitor Q" a decade ago, I once again find a movie that hits me in the face and that I will be thinking about for days, weeks, months and years to come. Once again it was at FantAsia Film Festival. And once again, it is a Japanese movie. On a Japanese art side note, if you want to see something as deranged in the traditional theatre, please see Daisuke Miura's wordless and sexmore modern society social commentary play "Yume no shiro" which I had the chance to see this year to a sold out crowd of 18+.

If you thought Shion Sono's "Suicide Club" was strange, you are in for a big surprise. This time Sono goes deep like sonar. After having seen "Cold Fish" (aka Tsumetai nettaigyo), I was literally high on naturally occurring chemicals, hormones and neurotransmitters in my body. I was happy, I had laughed a lot (in a very dark humour type of way) and I had had my limits pushed and pushed constantly during the movie. It was a kind of a delightful post-traumatic film syndrome. I talked about it extensively with my film buff friend Serena who enjoyed it as much as me and also happened to have lived in Asia for 18 months. It was amazing to have been able to share the experience with her (thought, talked, laughed, slack-jawed, awed, disbelieved the odd, etc.) and discuss it engagingly afterwards in all film and cultural aspects. After that night, I have been thinking about it for almost a week. I am still not sure I have completely digested it, but I am sure I have thoroughly enjoyed it and it is time I share a bit of my thoughts on it without giving too much away.

Firstly this story is a rather simple and straightforward story. A normal family with normal family problems meets an eccentric and friendly couple. Everything happens realistically and we embark in this world readily. A world of exotic fish and astronomy, of new hot wives and estranged daughter, of averageness and contemplative rain. We find a few things strange, but not much stranger than our own lives. We also enjoy the quick bonds formed between strangers, the charisma and the enigma.

Then things start to happen very fast, and before you know it you have been there bewildered for two hours and a half. Yet, everything is methodically paced, all the elements are expertly placed, nothing is gratuitously in your face. The movie follows a spiraling down into chaos with grace. The music suits every scene and noticeably shine on many occasions. The cinematography encompasses our imagination. The director plays with our thoughts and emotions. The actors immerse themselves in their characters while been in impossible situations. Everything is believable. This is based on a true story, but this is undoubtedly truer, realer… suspense, thriller. Michael Jackson has nothing on this. And yes, some people do die in this movie. The who, how and why is the question and especially the way it is deliberately delivered.

The movie has depth with many metaphors and metamorphoses. It is very psychological in its vision. It cuts through the crap like a colon incision. In the end, nothing is missing. Perfectionism. Perfection.

Close-minded people please abstain. This movie leaves you with a beautiful ineffaceable stain.

Nobuyuki Syamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) muddles though life with a new wife, a daughter who shoplifts, and a crummy little fish store. He is destined for nothing but boredom and stargazing.

He comes into contact with Yukio Murata (Denden), who is a gregarious individual with a fish supermarket staffed by buxom and scantily clad girls. He takes Syamoto under his wing and introduces him to his hobby - killing people.

This is a black comedy that never bores and has some really good scenes. In one the family of a missing man comes in with their Yakuza buddies. While Yukio is putting on a show, his wife is in the next room with Syamoto's daughter in the process of seducing her. The camera goes back and forth elevating the comedy until they send the family packing.

The transformation of Syamoto occurs suddenly, and ferociously, with jaw dropping action in the end. The level of blood and gore rises to new heights and it gets so bizarre that you can't take your eyes away.

This is a very bleak look at violence in general. While the movie starts of very slowly and more like a drama you could be excused for thinking it spins out of control. But even if you don't agree with the actions the characters are taking (mostly the only "logical" steps for them), you can't escape the grip and intensity the movie has. It does a very superb job in holding that throughout.

The acting is great (sometimes even sublime) and while you may feel like looking away, you might not be able to, because it does hold your attention with a very fine script. Not for the faint of hearted of course, this will appeal to some people, but also will appall quite a few others. But as a work of art this is within it's boundaries very good indeed!

Well made film actually, good acting, suspenseful, some cynicism and humor here and there. Some humor I could really appreciate as well. I found this film by using the tags 'underrated horror movie' in google. Is it underrated? Well, it's shocking. Most of all it's very, very bloody and violent. I suspect it's possible to get into a psychosis after watching this movie, if you're susceptible to it. If not, you will never forget this movie, at best. It's disturbing, not meaning to be realistic. I watched this with my wife and when our kids aged 16 and 17 came down from upstairs we stopped the movie to watch the rest later. It's not to be shown to kids, is my opinion. Does it have a message, is it art? I really couldn't tell. But yes, it's very disturbing, that I can tell you..

Mr. Sono is an uncompromising filmmaker. His resume is filled with odd characters, unnatural situations and twists that come at you from nowhere. This is based on a true story about a sadistic couple who killed dog lovers (the truth is stranger than fiction). In this film, Mr. Shamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) owns a tropical fish shop. His second wife is Taeko (the still amazing Asuka Kurosawa, who was the star of the stunning "A Snake Of June) and his daughter Mitsuko live with him. Mitsuko shoplifts and is threatened with the police but Mr. Murata (a terrificly over the top Denden)persuades that shop owner to let her go. It turns out, Murata owns a large tropical fish store and agrees to have Mitsuko work for him. If this sounds too perfect, too much like a perfect turn of events..it is. Eventually, Mr. Shamoto leans about Murata but he is in too deep by then. Not for the faint of heart, but it is a riveting, sometimes gory horror/drama, with a little black comedy thrown in. The acting is uniformly very good. Worthy of your time, especially for admirers of Mr. Sono's work, but not for everyone.

Love Exposure (by the same director) is one of my favourites of all time and so I was hoping for another cinematic treat. Unfortunately, this did not even come close. In fact, I found myself angry by the end of it and this was because I found the sexual violence disturbing, I did not buy into the plot twist, and most of the characters seemed unreal to me by the end of the film. These things ruined it for me.

I wouldn't complain about the depiction of sexual violence if the film had more depth to it, but if there was any worthy point, then I totally missed it. My Japanese partner watched it with me and told me she had been thinking that it might be offputting to some/many Westerners since they would not understand the aspects of Japanese culture which give this film different meanings. This was certainly part of the problem for me, but further to this, it was the fact that it seemed to try to be many things (black comedy, gory horror, thriller, psychological drama) but failed to bring them together well enough.

i've watched a few Japanese movies in recent years and mostly they are nearly always really interesting films. Cold Fish has to be the strangest Japanese film i have ever seen.

This is the story of two men who own two very different tropical fish stores and they are two men who have very different and extreme personalities.

This is a very graphic and violent movie that contains scenes that must have put the actors through the ringer. The physical and sexual violence is very real , it's just a shame that the film is far too long and that makes the extreme scenes lose their edge the longer the film goes on.

I cant begin to explain the moral's of the story and i'm not even sure i liked this film but i can appreciate what the actors went through.

If you interested in watching something very , very different , then Cold Fish will be right up your street.

Japanese people don't seem to know how to make ordinary dramas (really, Asian people for that matter). Everything tends toward the melodramatic and, in a lot of cases, hyper-violent and gory. However, for most of its run time, COLD FISH remains rather restrained. Only in the final act does this movie really go over-the-top in such a way that it ruins what could have been subtle shocker. Still, the journey to the end is one worth taking. The story concerns a mild-mannered, nebbish man at odds with his family. As a consequence of his daughter's shoplifting, he is brought into contact with a man who, while admittedly weird at first, shows himself to be something else entirely. And as the movie progresses, this put-upon man is pushed to his limits. I thought everything about this movie was excellent, from the production values, the performances, the soundtrack, etc. Shion Sono has quite a pedigree and by and large, this one doesn't disappoint either. The only fault it really has is that it's about 30 minutes too long. There were a couple of detours/plot points that don't really go anywhere, and the ending was a little too protracted to be believable, considering what came before it. The average viewer might be put off by the gore, but to be honest there's not as much of it compared to other movies coming out of Japan. Definitely for fans of extreme Japanese cinema, but maybe this might not be a bad entry point for those new to it.

What stands out in all of Sion's Sono's films is the voice of the director.His humour and ability to move through different styles within the same film. I think that this is a very positive feature in all of his films that I have seen to date. There is a brooding intelligence behind all of his films.This is a very stark violent film and one that has the most provocative dialogue.Much broader questions are being asked outside of the action.I think that it is no coincidence that Guilty of Romance,Suicide Club, Love Exposure and this film are all based upon true events.I think that Sion's dark humour helps to elevate his films above the genre of just shock horror.There is a lot of breast grabbing and an intoxication with sexual pleasure in this film.Sexual acts are often violent and deviant in his films and the bizarre Christian symbolism is odd and challenging.I really liked how the candles were lit on the alter using a spray can. What is normally a quite painstaking process was violent and disturbing.Can it be possible to enjoy films that are a constant assault to one's senses. I think so and Sono's films are not inane or banal.There is always the driving force of this poet and film maker. I am interested that other reviewers have mentioned," Visitor Q", and I would add ,"I Saw the Devil", as possibly the most disturbing films that I have seen..Murata in this film is introduced as a friendly kind man with an obsession with fish.His character openly refers to how he was abused as a child later in the film.His wife however a woman who enjoys sexual gratification at any time and in all forms is probably the most depraved character in the film.All of the madness includes strange around the table tableau's of normal? family life.The opening of the film showing the casual shopping and the emotionless acquisition of fast food is funny and sad at the same time.Do Sono's films celebrate the perverse and deviant? I am not so sure.Jodorowsky is the only other film maker who is so assured and unafraid to include imagery that is poetic and psychological.

Shamoto is a tropical fish seller, who is at odds with his rather dysfunctional family, namely his rebellious daughter Mitsuko, and his new wife Taeko. When his daughter is caught stealing, Shamoto is appalled. However, help comes in the guise of Matura, a mysterious and apparent benefactor, who persuades the manager to let her go. Then he offers Mitsuko a job in his own fish store. Then he wishes Shamoto to be his business partner. Then things start getting out of control. Matura, it turns out has a very unusual secret. And he has an eye on sharing his secret with Shamoto, whether he likes it or not...

I'm not gonna reveal plot developments or spoilers for this, as it's probably best viewed "blind". Although running at 2:30 hours nearly, it has a decent enough pace to it, with some quirky humorous touches, a decidedly non PC tone and some nasty off the wall violence.

It could have been leaner, with about 20 minutes of exposition cut from it, and things get kinda ludicrous toward the third act, but overall is a pretty decent and engrossing film. 7.5/10, (rounded to 7/10 for IMDb) better than average fare, even if it is kinda nuts and overlong.

This movie is totally insane. When you think it can't get any worse, it does - and more. Director Sion Sono has said that he wanted to "depict a sense of total hopelessness" which he felt is "lacking in Japanese films." (The Tokyo Reporter, Nov 28, 2010). I'd say he has succeeded. If you like blood, naked bodies or crazy people, go ahead and see it. This is some kind of mentally disturb #7thArt.

Sion Sono's latest, (very) loosely based on actual events, confirms the director as being one of the most inventive currently working in cinema today.

This bleak tale of repressed, inhibited tropical fish store owner Mr. Shamoto, who when coerced into business partnership by fellow tropical fish vendor Mr. Murata, eventually leads him to violence and serial murder.

This may be the blackest of black comedies you will see all year, but it is also the most furiously original and thought provoking.

This years Visitor Q, if you will.

First things first. If gory scenes make you feel sick and you turn your eyes elsewhere, do not watch this. There is so much blood and bones in this movie, other people around you might start complaining during the movie ruining the experience. I personally hate it when my friends talk all the time throughout a movie, so i watched it alone. I am also one of those types that show a genuine interest in extreme violence, madness and murder. No i am not fascinated by blood and butchering. I am curious about human behavior. And when we are curious we search. And when we are searching for something, we simply cannot close our eyes to those images and behaviors that might hurt our eyes. I do not watch gore movies that are just that. Butchering and more butchering and nothing else. But i have visited numerous sites, many of them now forbidden, that depict crime scene photos, videos of extremely violent crimes, etc. A single real photo or video, can show us the anger, or in many cases the madness. I also never re visit those images. There is no need, as blood and violence are not fetishes of mine. In fact, i have seen numerous movies that had potential, and they were ruined for me by gory scenes that did not add anything to those films.

I watched this movie mainly because of the real story that inspired it.

A Japanese owner of a pet shop, so bizarre and nasty, that he used to kill people's dogs so they would buy a new one from his shop. He also kidnapped other dogs from people and sold them at his shop. He was friends with Yakuza people, but at the same time, an enemy of other Yakuza people, losing a pinky along the way.. Who would not be curious about such a guy? I was.

The movie for me is a good movie with some flaws. The two main male actors are superb. Actor Denden who plays the maniac, looks genuinely creepy as f**k. And Mitsuru Fukikoshi who plays the man who enters the maniac's world, gives a stunning performance as well. He persuades both as the boring calm type initially, and he also delivers afterwards when he finally explodes. The director did a fine job too. I can tell he took a lot of time thinking about how to portray all those gory scenes, and for me they work 100%. Enough with the stabbings that only show the murderer's face and then cut to a scene with a bodybag, Real maniacs, when they kill, the knife will enter flesh. There will be a ton of blood. When a maniac chops up a body in lil pieces, we will see lil pieces. Along with heads, fingers, even a penis. Why not? It has happened in real life, more than once. As a matter of fact, in places like Mexican cartel land, or inside Brazilian prisons, the real pictures show even worse acts. And they are 100% real. So the director for me did an excellent job on the gore parts of the movie.

Regarding flaws, i honestly think that since the scenario was already not an exact copy of the real case, the movie could have added some more police trying to catch this guy or whatever. Or show no police at all. But its shows the police in just two scenes that for me personally, did not add anything to the film. I was also not very impressed with how other actors performed. Especially the woman who plays the maniac's lover, and the guy who plays the Yakuza type fella. For me their performances were overkill. Lastly, the director could have used more of the fantastic scenery in those scenes inside the woods.

A good film for those who are always curious about humans, dark humans and dark acts, and how any calm mannered character can transform into a beast. Those who love gore just for the shake of gore, won't like it. And those who feel sick when they see bloody limbs, broken bones and severed heads, should stay away.

Where to begin with this mess? Unimaginative sets, camera work, and especially the characters, which are so static and uninteresting. Some of the acting was literally cringeworthy, especially the daughter. The plot, which involves a simple, passive store owner who is slowly drawn into working for a serial killing gangster, is incredibly banal, and the plot "twist" is so predictable I don't even consider it a twist at all. The violence looks incredibly fake, as does all the gore, which is meant to shock but comes off looking like typical haunted house gore at Halloween. The movie was just...inert, unmoving. I literally felt nothing as I viewed it. In fact my only emotion was boredom, and a slight hope that maybe it will get better or actually surprise me or make me feel an emotion.

An utter waste of time. Believe me. The only reason I can see that this has such a high rating is the western fetish for all things Japanese. Trust me, if this was an English show, it would have a hard time fetching a rating of 3 stars on IMDb.

It gets one star from me simply because the title is so apt: this really is about as entertaining and emotive as a cold, dead fish.

Shimato is the quintessential meek and unimpressive Japanese family man. His home life is in tatters: his daughter from a previous marriage is a petty criminal and his wife hates her. And him.

Called to a pet-shop his daughter has been caught stealing from, a larger than life, eccentric businessman arrives and saves the day. Not only does he relieve the daughter of her charges, he offers her a job AND a place to stay. Things are looking up for Shimato, until he finds out what we already know.

Yes, the businessman and his cackling, nymphomaniac wife are serial killers. This is not a spoiler and is revealed early on. Shimato first becomes only more obsequious, and you wonder how far he will go.

The movie has some surprising developments in the final act. The problem is the middle. The movie is at least half an hour too long, and seriously loses its way in the second act. When I got to the end, though, I was glad I'd stuck it out. This is actually kind of a hopeless, elegiac movie, like a hymn to Japanese society, not where there are people like serial killers - who are extremely rare anywhere - but that there are people like Shimato, in his situation, abused and exploited by everyone.